It has been a while since I sat and jotted something down, not that I have forgotten, but I have been reflecting, processing and writing some thoughts which I believe are going to help many as we move forward in trying to help women across the city of Athens.
I have found myself thinking a lot about my own journey, what got me into weaving and how this journey has impacted my life. I started learning how to weave in May 2018 because I sensed in my heart that this skill was going to help me in my healing journey after going through a very traumatic experience personally. I spent hours and
hours learning, crying from the pain and hurt of what had happened and trying to make sense of it all. It was days spent in my small apartment, in a neighborhood of the southern suburbs of Athens Greece. I would spend days without leaving my apartment except to go to the grocery store or to church because the pain then was too much for me to carry. I got into the rhythm of weaving and started to love and enjoy it and there were days I couldn’t stop, not even to eat. The journey saw me begin teaching other women, especially refugees and at first it was hilarious because I did not have much knowledge about the skill and I remember sometimes telling the women “we will stop here today and continue next time we meet” simply because I was stuck and needed to figure things out! The path of weaving began to enlarge and more women started learning with me and I began to notice the pain and hurt slowly ebbing away and of course there were moments when it would hurt like it had just happened. It has been a personal journey of healing and I have also watched the different women who come through our doors experience hope, healing and a great sense of womanhood restored. I have watched many walk away with their heads held high, proud of their work and what they have accomplished; very different to when they first walked in. It has been 5 years of learning, teaching, healing and helping others heal. As I have reflect on this, I have come to the conclusion that Hand Weaving is not just a skill, but is also very therapeutic and this has taken me on a course in the last two weeks of reading and researching if there is any evidence or other people who can testify to this and the answer is a big YES. So a new journey begins as I make sure that the women we train and employ also experience the healing we have experienced. Be on the lookout for a new chapter at Creative Hands: Weaving as Art Therapy.
Thank you for taking time to read.
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