The space feels inviting
The warmth within holds us as we enter
Still, Safe, & Serene
Our troubled souls take rest in this quieted space
The room encourages us to tell of our forgotten stories
With our wary and weary hearts we begin to speak
Our voices come
Sometimes slowly and guarded
Other times fastidiously protected
Once soothed our cadence steadies
From our words the threads of our lived experiences emerge
Our fears, our hopes, our loves, and our losses
These threads find grounding
They are known
Enveloped in empathy
And relieved of heaviness
When it is time for our threads to rest
They take up residence
Within the walls
Where their stories are absorbed in quiet confidence
And expressed authentically
With the perfectly imperfect weaving of our lives’ threads
For this is Our Spoken Tapestry
~Ara O'Hayre
