Tapestry

I imagine our lineage as a large tapestry-- huge in fact.  It has yet to be hung up in a castle or mansion, because it's a work in progress.  Last year, I finally found the room it is housed in and added myself to the list of people weaving it.  There is a thread for every single soul attached to it, recognized or not.
Much of the work to make the tapestry has already been accomplished.  As soon as I walked in to the room I saw that.  On my dad's side, the stitches are tightly woven, with nary a weak spot or hole.  I've tried getting in there and wiggling around, but have found little success in finding spots for new threads.  So, I do what I can to strengthen the weave that is there.
My mom's side, however, is still in its inception.  I've got to say that it's a lot of fun to work there, moving my mouse like a shuttlecock, in and out, pulling the threads through, finding new threads and adding them to the picture.  Most of my work is off to the side--  I'm sure my link is pretty tenuous, but I do the work anyway, because it's got to be done.  I frequently pray that someone will find all my little green arrows and be so excited because they hit a jackpot.
I got so I had to stop adding all of the names that I found to my temple ordinance list, because I simply won't have the time to get it all done myself.  I've already got something like 130 ordinances that need doing.  We've been plugging away at it.  Between our ward temple nights and Dan's calling which involves him attending all other wards' temple nights, we are making a dent.  It's a dent that feels good to make.
I imagine this tapestry filled with my own personal threads.  I imagine it filled with my bright green threads, patching up little holes here and there, bringing in new patterns.  I take this tapestry personally.
That's why my heart broke when I saw a hole in it yesterday where there shouldn't have been.  I can't say it suddenly appeared there, since there has been weakening to the branch over the last few years.  It fills me with sadness that this was one of my favorite branches and I'm watching it be hewn down by the very people who should be concerned with it's growth.  There are days when I lament that we no longer use sack cloth and ashes to display our grief.  I want to rail.  I want to shake people.  I want them to see what they have done and hold themselves accountable.
I think today I need to spend some more time tying those ties that bind in my own family.