A story to tell

A story of Huang Di and Lei Zu:

Once upon a time, in an old Chinese village, a man Huang Di and his wife Lei Zu made a promise. They decided that their whole lives would be dedicated to adding a small section to their special village quilt, a holy quilt which would be used for those most in need in their village in times of sickness or time of need. There were stories about the various sections of the quilt which had been made by many ancestors of long ago and contributed little by little because thread was such a rare thing in this village.

Huang Di and Lei Zu decided early on to find the threads together and search the villages all over for the little tiny pieces of thread, or cloth that could be used for the special village quilt. It took many days and days to even find one or two good pieces. Most were broken or too small. They took a decision as time went by, to perhaps make the project easier by dividing their time. Huang Di would find pieces of thread, in all different villages, while Lei Zu would remain at the home and collect the threads they had found to bring them togehter, slowly creating small pieces to then weave into a larger piece to contribute to the village quilt.

Time went on and on. Each day Huang Di would bring some pieces, but mostly they were different colors and although each piece was special, together the pieces could not be brought together. Lei Zu in the meantime would be tasked with blending them together. Special intricate delicate work would be required to bring these pieces together, requiring a fine steady hand and nimble fingers. They would share their triumphs and difficulties each day over tea in the evening, tend to their garden together at night and then rest unti the dawn arrived the following day.

As Huang Di became tired, he would sometimes come home early expecting to find Lei Zu trying to piece some threads together. But this day, he saw her by the garden. She looked very serious, and so focused on the garden...well Huang Di would continue his search the next day like every day. They will chat at tea...

Soon, each day when Huang Di arrived, whether early or late, Lei Zu was still in the garden! He was not sure why, and continued his way to find threads.

As time went on, more threads were brought home, in differing colors and textures, left in the small room where Lei Zu was to make the part of the quilt. But for quite a few days and even weeks, Lei Zu seemed to be in the garden and again very focused.

Lei Zu and Huang Di chatted during their tea in the evening and Lei Zu asked for some patience in her special project. It was complicated and quite delicate, but that with some faith, some very wonderful things could happen. Huang Di was confused. The tasks were clear, the threads must be pulled together, and he knew he could not do this, his fingers were far too big and shaky, where as Lei Zu could bring many small threads together within a blink of her eye...Oh well, Huang Di would wait, and he will continue his tasks as much as he could. Sometimes, he would ask Lei Zu about the garden project, but she just told him to be patient...with faith things will be revealed...

One day, with the sun brighter than other days, as Huang Di made his way to go through the villages once again, Lei Zu asked him to join her for tea. But it was not evening? Lei Zu insisted to have it now and to drink the tea in the garden so she could show him what she doing all these months...

With a cup of tea for Huang Di, she explained that one day in the garden with her cup of tea, a silk worm had dropped in her cup. Slowly she saw how the little worm created the most wondeful special threads she had ever seen...if only she knew how to create more and understand them better...

What Huang Di didnt know, was that Lei Zu had discovered how to make silk, the smoothest cloth in all of China. Each piece of thread that Huang Di found would now be interwoven into the silk, creating beautfiul colors and textures, reflecting the efforts and work that both Huang Di and Lei Zu put together.

While they both did not know they had the capacity to create such abundance and beauty, their faith, mutual support and patience created gifts beyond their deepest expectations. Huang Di and Lei Zu could now not only provide the village with a small piece of quilt, but an entire quilt for each village near and far. This was their sacrifice, and the sacrifice of their friend the silk worm:

"A silkworm spins all its silk till its death and a candle won't stop its tears until it is fully burnt."

(This Tang poem accurately describes the property of the silkworm. Despite technological development, a silkworm can only produce a certain amount of silk---1000 meters (3280feet) in its lifespan of 28 days. The rarity of the raw material is the deciding factor of both the value and the mystery of silk.)