Assembled into Awe

I love studying mosaics. Looking for what once was, what is now, and the beauty that comes from being broken. I love seeing clay shaped and molded by hands that can see something beautiful inside it. I love finding sea glass, knowing at one time it was a simple piece of glass that with time and pressure became so much more. I love talking to people and hear stories of survival. How they could take their broken pieces, begin putting themselves back together to make a fuller, richer life.

Many years ago I was broken. I could barely function. Simple activities took all my strength. I had no hope for the future and didn’t see how life could ever get better. I wanted to go to sleep and never wake up. I can clearly remember trying to figure out why I felt the way I did. I had a young child, a loving husband, supportive parents, a beautiful home. I was ashamed to feel the way I did. People would tell me I had so much to be grateful for, but I felt nothing. My husband and father stepped in and got me to a psychiatrist. I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and hospitalized.

Getting to the other side wasn’t easy. There was a lot of trial and error with medications. I was hospitalized 3 times and had a lot of therapy. With the help of my treatment team, I got to the other side. My family could see my worth when I couldn’t. My psychiatrist could see the parts of me that were broken. My therapist helped me see my worth. She helped me gain the tools to turn the light back on inside me. She helped me put myself back together. She helped me assemble my broken pieces into a beautiful new life.

Mental Health affects everyone. Everyone knows someone struggling. It is imperative that we create a safe space so those who are struggling can ask for help. It is imperative for those that have overcome to share their stories of hope and help erase the stigma that surrounds mental illness. It is imperative for those who have overcome to help others assemble their broken pieces into awe.