The Power of Connection

A year or so ago I was joining a group of ladies and we were each asked to bring something along to an evening that said something about ourselves as a way to get to know each other. Textiles are an important part of my life and I own quite a lot to pairs of scissors. In various places around my home I have scissors for embroidery, for dressmaking, for cutting paper, offset ones for snipping threads when machine embroidering or quilting and duck bill ones for trimming layers of fabric. I have pinking shears (including a pair which belonged to my grandmother), baby nail scissors, ones for snipping things from magazines... even a tiny antique pair given to me recently by a friend. So my first thought was to take a pair of my scissors.

Then I thought about what scissors are used for - cutting things apart or for separating things.

Much of what I do both in my work (and in a different way in my creative endeavours) involves bringing things together. In the end I gathered a whole lot of buttons from the various jars and tins they are stored in, some old and some new, some shiny and some with hidden qualities and put them all into an old jar for my ‘show and tell’. That seemed to tell more of the story.

We are naturally social creatures and have a strong need for connection.We work hard to ‘fit in’ with a group but strive even harder to find a place where we naturally ‘fit’. The value of finding like minds should not be underestimated. I have spoken with parents moved to tears when their child clicks with another gifted child, when they see their child relax and the exchange is not guarded, when they almost need to be prised apart when it is time to part.

It is not just the kids who need to feel that connection. Finding somewhere where you can share your challenges and frustrations as well as the joys and delights of parenting gifted children is just as important for parents.

I am fortunate to speak to so many families, either in person or via email. Inevitably someone mentions a need they have, or perhaps a skill they possess and this is just what someone else I have spoken to is seeking. Or I come across something in my reading and searching which might be of interest to some one I spoke to. Or someone tells me about their experience with a school, a tutor, an allied health professional, a website……..

These are the times where the button analogy seems to fit. Where I can put people in touch with each other, can pass on a link or contact, help people to get together or pass on some information which might make someone’s journey a little less bumpy. Finding someone else who is or has homeschooled their child; someone else coping with a highly sensitive or intense child; someone who doesn’t think it so unusual to be reading Feynman’s essays as bedtime stories or explaining the intricacies of inner space; or who just ‘gets it’ when you talk about how ineffective star charts have turned out to be, can make all the difference.