A Labor of Love
A few weeks ago, we read the story of the Joseph and his Coat of Many Colors in Sunday worship - a tale that has been retold many times, turned into a musical, and adapted into songs - one in particular that is sticking with me this week. There's a lot of debate over what kind of a coat this actually was - did it have different colored or patterned fabric? Was it long and flowing, with billowy sleeves? This is one of the places in scripture where we tend to make educated guesses because the words used are not as clear as we have been brought up to believe.
But, you know, even if it wasn't really a coat of many colors, I think I like that version the best. Good story telling is a lot like weaving together a complex piece of clothing with different colors and patterns. It takes a serious amount of planning and skill - especially if you are making it by hand. Today, we don't tend to make our own clothing by hand. We don't personally grow our own cotton or flax. We don't shear our own sheep. We don't spin our own thread, dye our own fibers, or tightly weave it all into a durable fabric to be used. Most of the time, we don't even assemble clothing from cut fabric. We buy it at the store. It's simply not realistic today to make our own clothing from scratch.
But what gets lost when we lose a skill - a tradition - from yesteryear in favor of faster and more convenient fashion? And it's not just with clothing, right? It's in our food, our construction, even our furniture. I'm always on the lookout for antique furniture from decades and decades ago - not just because it's old. But because it's durable and because, very often, it tells a story. I have the joy of being able to live in an historic home at the moment, built in the 1860's when Cincinnati was still young. And I love it. We looked up the records of the many people who lived here before us - and there were quite a few. A number of different families - usually 2 or 3 living in the house all at the same time. The old plank floors, pocket shutters, and plaster walls - so many people have loved this house before us and I hope that many will love it once we are gone. It's certainly not perfect - no home or neighborhood is. But it's special and unique. And while it doesn't fit everyone's taste, it satisfies my inner grandmotherly spirit and that's something I won't apologize for.
Our neighborhood is a bit of a "coat of many colors" too. There's a mix of historic buildings, a few newer constructions, wealthy families as well as those living in affordable housing, people who have lived here for generations and others who have just moved in. We stop to visit with many of our neighbors regularly and it's really interesting to get to know folks from such different backgrounds.
I told myself that I was going to try not to do repeats for my "playlist" posts - particularly authors or artists. But I think it is completely appropriate this week to break my rule. In 1971, Dolly Parton released a song titled, "Coat of Many Colors," a story about how her mama made a beautiful colorful coat for her from fabric scraps - a true labor of love. Dolly talks about how much she loved that coat, even though she was teased for it at school. She knew and understood that it was not just a coat but an expression of love. And that's what made it so much more special. Dolly's life is a Cinderella story of sorts, having grown up poor in Appalachia and making her name in the country music scene, she dedicated her life to caring for others. She entertained, yes, but she did so much more. Her Imagination Library sent over 319 million books to children around the country at no cost, allowing them a greater chance at literacy. She donated to medical research, including the COVID-19 vaccine. And she used profits from her own works to invest in poor neighborhoods to help those affected by poverty and racism. Was she a perfect person? Certainly not, but no one is. But I would venture to say that her life was a labor of love, like that coat of many colors.
Among the musical tributes I've seen this week in light of her death, some of the most moving tributes have been about actual interactions people have had with her. I'll admit I found myself crying one minute and laughing the next because of the way people came together to talk about their love for this iconic woman. And I think that's the sign of a life well-lived, right? I'll be honest, this loss was a hard one for me. But like that coat of many colors, Dolly had a way of bringing people together in acts of love. And I can think of nothing more Christian than that.
Wherever you find yourself today, I hope you can take just a moment to realize just how loved you are. And I hope this inspires you to share an act of love with a neighbor.
Song: Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton
Listen here:
In peace,
-PT
Comments