Redefining What’s Broken

flickr photo by: mikebogle

Holding On

I have been holding on to one earring.

“Why?” you ask.

Because I love it. Because it was my all-time favorite pair and then I went and lost one side. But unlike other lonely singles that I had donated or tossed in the trash, I couldn’t bare to part with this one. So for months, it sat in my little jewelry bowl sitting by its lonesome.

That is, until the day I finally decided to do something about it. It was much too pretty to be thrown away. And although it was sort of broken without its mate, I decided it was worthy to be displayed again.

After much haggling with it, I turned it into a necklace*.

*Stay tuned for an update on how I DIM (did-it-myself).

Transformation

The process was simple. But it got me thinking about our own broken pieces. And how quick we are to toss them aside, hide them or throw them away.

There is a joy in displaying your broken jewels. Wear them like a badge of honor. Mix them up, find a new angle, learn to take what feels broken and turn them into what makes you strong.

I watched Oprah teacher her Masters Class on OWN the other day and was moved by her words. Years of abuse, abandonment, and a loss of a baby did not destroy her. She was able to transform her feelings of being unworthy into teaching others how to find their own self-worth.

Your Journey

I don’t know what you are going through right now. Only you know that. But I believe that whatever your circumstances, they are there to prepare you for what’s still to come.

Like the chick who has to grow wings before he can fly or the pony that must fall before he can stand, we must all experience our brokenness to understand what it means to be whole.

Keep walking the journey, dear friend. Because you will get there. Pick up your broken pieces and save them. Hold them to your heart. For one day, you will want to treasure them as a symbol of that courageous journey, as a moment that changed you forever.