Cracks of Gold --by T.K. Thorne





 

Writer, humanist,
          dog-mom, horse servant and cat-slave,
       Lover of solitude
          and the company of good friends,
        New places, new ideas
           and old wisdom.




We are all broken.

Life just does that. No matter how much joy and happiness we have in a moment or even, if we are fortunate, in most of our lives, things will happen that will crack us open. Loss of a loved one (person or fur-person), the absorption of violence and hate close to us or elsewhere in the world, personal failure, loneliness, loss of hope, loss of meaning.

Life is always changing. We truly have nothing but the moment. And sometimes that moment is painful.


I am not talking about depression and lasting feelings of sadness.  If you feel that, please seek professional help. I'm talking about the moments of intense pain, intense grief. No one wants to hurt, but pain cannot be avoided and it is a reminder of the depth of love we’re capable of feeling. Heartbreak is the sword that cracks open your idea of reality and allows a refocusing of what matters.

Know this: A broken heart is an open heart.



It is in the breaking, when our hearts are peeled back on themselves, that our truths have passage to come in and out.



If we’re lucky, our hearts will break over and over again to reveal new ways of being, of thinking, and of loving.

 Each break allows our hearts to heal bigger than the time before.



Yes, there is pain every time we’re cracked open. Immeasurable pain. And with each break, each sting of pain, our hearts are able to expand and strengthen our capacity to love.--Jamie Greenwood, The Tiny Buddha

Recently, a friend, a long time citizen who was born in another country, found a hateful, racist note on his gym bag. When he posted about it, he was deluged with more hate mail, but also love from supporters.  He chose not to retreat into anger or to linger in darkness. He chose to be proud of his scars, to heal. He chose love over hate. That is how gold is forged. The Japanese have a beautiful tradition that illustrates this.




T.K. Thorne’s childhood passion for storytelling deepened when she became a police officer in Birmingham, Alabama.  “It was a crash course in life and what motivated and mattered to people.” In her newest novel, HOUSE OF ROSE, murder and mayhem mix with a little magic when a police officer discovers she’s a witch. 

Both her award-winning debut historical novels, NOAH’S WIFE and ANGELS AT THE GATE, tell the stories of unknown women in famous biblical tales—the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. Her first non-fiction book, LAST CHANCE FOR JUSTICE, the inside story of the investigation and trials of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, was featured on the New York Post’s “Books You Should Be Reading” list. 

T.K. loves traveling and speaking about her books and life lessons. She writes at her mountaintop home near Birmingham, often with a dog and a cat vying for her lap. 

More info at TKThorne.com. Join her private newsletter email list and receive a two free short stories at “TK’s Korner.”