Precious Like Glass

Growing up, I had a glass animal collection. I started it the first time that I went to Disneyland as child. I got a tiny pink and clear glass elephant at a store on Main Street. I loved the little animal, and I displayed it on a small glass mirror on my dresser.  For many years, each time I went to Disneyland, I got another glass animal. They were a catalogue of my youth. I had about fifteen, and I put them on the inside of a window sill in my bedroom. I smiled every time that I saw them. Sadly, when I was a teen, a housekeeper that came to our home once a week accidentally knocked all the animals off the window sill, and they broke. When I got home from school that day and saw the pile of glass on my floor, I felt devastated. Forty-five years later, I still feel sad when I think of that time.

I’ll always cherish my glass animals, though, and now, at 59, I’ve learned that I’m precious, just like the glass animals were.  I didn’t always value myself or see my worth, but as I’ve grown, pursued various paths of healing, and strengthened my relationship with God, I’ve come to value myself.

My glass animals shattered when they fell off the window sill, and like them, I am vulnerable. Lately, I’ve been dealing with health challenges and have wondered if I’ll recover my health and life. Unlike the glass animals, I’m an animate being, and I do various healing modalities to regain my health and put me back together again. Glass is also strong, and so am I. God gives me the strength to persevere, so I listen to my body, rest when it says, “stop,” and soothe my anxious soul with thoughts of God’s love for me, loving connections with others, reading and listening to Scripture, and meditating. I value myself enough to eat well, buy and cook myself healthy food, and exercise. I participate in several groups that give me comfort and teach me healthy ways to live.

I’ll keep on the path, for I’m precious and worth it. I cherished the time I had with my little animals, and I can cherish each moment of my life, whatever stage it’s in – whether in the whole glass stage or the putting myself back together stage.

God is the ultimate fashioner of me and my life, so even though it’s been a rough time, God can help me emerge from this and be stronger, healthier, and more peaceful. God is the God of all possibilities, and as I surrender myself to God, he directs me to my inner truth and value. The call is to de-stress, focus on gratitude, and do healthier practices than ever. Every part of me is precious, as is every part of my life. I loved my single glass elephant, and I loved my animals as a collection. Like the animals, I can love the individual parts of me, the needy, dependent parts, and the strong, empowered parts. They’re all part of the great collection of me. The little elephant’s glass trunk was precious, and so was the whole elephant. Likewise, I can love and accept all of me and my life.

For today, I declare that I’m precious, and I thank my higher power for helping me value myself, both now and forevermore.