Kintsukuroi

In Japan there is a pottery technique known as kintsukuroi. When a handcrafted something falls or breaks, it is sutured back together with gold creating a new piece with an utterly unique shape and form. All at once a preservation and a solemn prizing of the sum of its parts.Not thoughtlessly discarded or wantonly disregarded because of the carelessness of another. Never swept aside nor considered beyond repair. Rather its pieces are gently gathered, so as not to miss any crucial shards. It is puzzled back together taking a new form and life. And it is considered even more beautiful for having been broken, a work of art whose shattering is its new beginning.This is true too of our hearts, all too often cracked or dropped or smashed to pieces. When the bird of sorrow makes a nest in the branches inside our ribs, we can feel as though we will never be put back together and our secret song will forever catch in our throats.Seek the gold in hidden places. Look for those who with kindly hands and loving care will fill the fault lines with a shimmering wonder that will in time bring you back to wholeness. Let their tender ministrations and their gentle care teach your heart that not everything is here to shatter you. They will sing new songs to your heart's nightingale, even in the darkness when the gold cannot be seen.The day will come when you will greet the dawn with a sweet lilting song borne of suffering and grief, that boasts a hopeful bridge and a rousing chorus. It will enchant the many who awaken to its splendour, made all the more beautiful for the way your voice cracks and then soars in its retelling.There is a crack in everythingIt's how the light gets in~ Leonard CohenSculpture: Expansion by Paige BradleyWords c. Kerrie Basha, 2018 from my upcoming book