I've felt the undeniable prompt(s!) to begin sharing my creative writing... stories I wrote as I was processing and overcoming trauma. These stories are precious to me, because they were written from a raw place of my heart, and brought the emotional healing I needed. They are from a season of my life many chapters ago. I no longer relate to the writer, as she was left behind, as a caterpillar in a cocoon. The caterpillar wrote these stories. The butterfly is sharing them.
I'm not yet ready to publicly tell my story, however I will begin with a creative story I've shared with friends. This story has helped friends process their own traumas, so I know my creative writing is a tool for healing. God has been prompting me for a long time to share my stories... but because they are precious to me, I hesitated. I've shared them with friends, but never in a public space. I hope they bless you π¦
The Two Sides of the Glass Mirror Wall
There was once a young girl who had so many desires and dreams…but she also had a lot of inhibitions and fears. She was standing in front of a huge mirror – like a huge wall she couldn’t pass. She could see her destiny and dreams on the other side, but knew it would take great courage to live them. The only way she knew how to cross to the other side would be to shatter the mirror… She also knew that she would be cut by the glass…but that was the only way.
As she lived each day, yearning to be on the other side, she built up her courage and tried to expose her vulnerabilities to herself. In seeing them, she tried to understand and deal with them. This was also a part of her shattering the glass. She could see what she wanted. The more she saw she was missing, the more she desired it. She could see those bear hugs and gentle security in the arms of her ‘prince’, but she also knew it didn’t matter how much she desired these things, she must shatter the wall. And only she could do it.
She felt like her future was staring at her. She knew she could be there…if she had enough courage to leave the lonely comfort zone she found herself in. Yes, the glass may cut her, but cuts heal…and on the other side, she would be cared about. The cuts wouldn’t matter…In fact, the cuts may even increase the love awaiting her on the other side. She knew she had unconsciously “switched off” part of her thoughts/feelings relating to that prince. She had not allowed herself to feel what most people would feel. She felt it was a coping mechanism….that wouldn’t get her hurt. If she didn’t feel she wouldn’t hurt. But now she has begun to discover what she subconsciously hid from herself. She had cut off her ability to properly ‘feel’. She wanted to…she knew she wasn’t normal, but she wasn’t sure how to be normal. She could see how her own actions had hindered her ability to feel, and so she understood how she found herself staring at the glass wall…the wall she herself had subconsciously erected. And now, she knew, she must knock it down.
It had held her captive, and she no longer wanted to be that prisoner. She wanted to punch the wall…to experience that pure, gentle love awaiting her on the other side. The one that knew she was captive, but was willing to wait for her to have the courage to come to him. He was just waiting…knowingly… and patiently for the day his princess would finally run into his arms, no longer held back by the glass… It may even be that the shards of glass will fall all over her…arms, head, chest…and she may require some TLC once the wall is gone…but the sheer fact she has made it to the other side should be enough to encourage her.
The love awaiting her will tend to her needs and help her to heal…and she will. The shards of glass will only be temporary reminders of what she has come from….the cuts will fade in time. She knows once on the other side, she won’t want to turn back. She’ll feel the normal feelings of a normal person, and she won’t feel bad for feeling normal. Gradually, all the feelings she has denied herself will be released and not be discouraged. She won’t have to feel so self protective, and she will freely love and allow herself to be loved in return. π¦©️