I do not break or bleed, with tears and tenderness of heart, I absorb hard lessons. Sense far beyond present places. See scars turned to maps of where I've been and how far I have come. They will tell how I arrived ripe in my own center still full of juice and joy.

There are different kinds of strength. Some people are rocks and others are rivers. Never try to be a rock when when you are the fluid strength of a river. When you cry ask yourself, what is stronger, the rock or the river that carves it out?

There I was, waiting, afraid I’d never experience the kind of joy yet to come, but hoping for it just the same.

Even in my winters, I diligently, tenaciously plant seeds for the life of my dreams. Because even hope must be nurtured by the direct action of unwavering faith. In the bareness of naked trees, gray and cold, I still touch fertile soil, dig deep and place the seeds of creativity, and in that moment feel the warmth and promise of a bursting spring. Elizabeth Vega

If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces."

[Blueprint for a Breakthrough (2013)]

Scars, whether physical or emotional, could be not just a representation of survival but also a story of hope.