My Cracks and Golden Repair

Sometimes I feel I am an egg: all hard on the outside; soft and mushy on the inside. If you touch me too hard, I might break. If you say the wrong thing, pieces of me might break off. When bad things happen, I suffer cracks. If I am an egg; I am an egg with a cracked eggshell.

But I am learning my cracks not only let light in; they also allow the light, I often forget I have in me, to shine through… maybe even to be a light for others to help them emerge from the dark - just as I am doing.

Kintsukuroi…also known as kintsugi, is a Japanese form of gold joinery. Literally it means to fill with gold. It is an art form and a form of philosophy. When pottery cracks, it is filled with gold or silver lacquer. The filling and the cracks become one as the pottery becomes whole once more. The piece of pottery is now more beautiful for its having been broken open and repaired. Looking at the piece of pottery reminds us that the breakage and repair are part of the object’s history and that it is its imperfection that makes the pottery more beautiful.

I wish we all took the time to look at each other with open eyes; eyes that would recognize that though we are broken, scarred, and imperfect; we can be healed. I wish we could each fill our cracks and brokenness with the golden joining of love, kindness, acceptance and compassion. Then, when we looked at one another, we would see the gold and realize that each of us has fallen, cried, been broken open, but are beautiful. And we would learn two things - (1) it is the broken, scarred, imperfect parts of us that unite us; (2) and that we all can heal and, once healed, are more beautiful because of the experience.

So, if I’m not an egg shining light for others,

I am a soul inside a body that is cracked -

just fill me full of gold

and call me whole,

healed and beautiful

for others to behold…

shine!!!!

one of my favorite things to do is to fill up my albums of pictures of things that touch me, that move me, that open my heart or soul, that are beautiful and beauty. one of my favorite types of pictures are of light...candles, fireworks, moonlight, created or real. i like to let light in. i like to see it shine softly, brightly, filling a room, a person or a life. while it can be fun to be able to walk through darkness, it is certainly easier with a little light to guide your way. 

today i received a little light from an old friend. her words brought tears to my face and created little cracks in my everyday armor so that i could feel a little more light escaping from me out into the world. i thank her for that.

right after that, i read this posting that seemed eerily appropriate. it filled me up and overflowed. clearly i am meant to share this with you ... my friends, my journey companions.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” 

~ Marianne Williamson ~

i have read many things that she has written and believe she has a deep capacity to understand, share and encourage love. please read her if you get the chance. in the meantime, let us be moved by this passage and give ourselves and others permission to be our splendid selves. let us right now begin to... shine...shine...SHINE!!!