Much like the process of broken glass going through the kiln to transform into a new combination of broken pieces, the healing process leads to a developed self, reborn and ready to experience life with new perspectives. I view my healing from a 14-year-long depression as a miracle made possible through hope and faith. My faith has been and continues to be my source of strength when going through hardships. Growing up in a culture where there is a lack of mental health awareness, Through the Glass of Self-Reflection celebrates what I kept to myself for a long time and embraces pain as a normal part of the healing cycle. Change and transformation can only happen when we dig deep into our thoughts and face the parts of ourselves we sometimes hide. Only once those parts are exposed can healing begin. When this darkness consumed my perceptions, I experienced the world cynically, and having a joyful spirit didn’t seem possible- but that is the most exciting part of change. It changes your perceptions.

 
 Windows were created to bring light to a room lacking such thing, 

But the Sun doesn’t shine when needed, and the room occupies darkness from within.  

The windows are purposely tinted 

By a soul who thinks it meant it. Took reality… and bent it.  

“The higher the climb, the better view from the mountain top,” 

It thought. “The wounds will be mended, and the pain will surely stop.” 

But reality defies those lies and ends it because the higher the climb, the harder the drop. 

And bit by bit, the soul trembled and descended 

In the room from which it came, it landed. 

The cycle proceeds… 

And the soul remains stranded for the bad choices demanded. 

There won’t be sunshine, unless change is planted.