The Weaver's Choice

Yazhini spent three long years weaving a magnificent tapestry that told the story of her ancestors. It was made of the rarest silks, and in the very center was a thread of pure, unbreakable gold. The tapestry was her pride and joy, hung on the wall for everyone to admire. One stormy afternoon, a flash flood washed away the rope bridge that connected the village to the medical clinic across the river. The villagers were stranded, and the river was too wild to cross. Yazhini looked at the golden thread in her tapestry. She knew that because it was unbreakable, it could be used to pull a new sturdy bridge across the raging water. However, pulling it out would completely unravel her beautiful masterpiece. Yazhini looked at the sick children waiting for medicine, and then at her artwork. Slowly, she found the end of the golden thread and pulled. Her three years of work dissolved into loose piles of silk, but the strong gold cord was cast across the river, saving the village.

Questions to Think About: 1. Why is a community's safety more important than a beautiful piece of art? 2. Yazhini lost her tapestry, but what did she gain instead? 3. How do we decide when to sacrifice our own hard work to help others?