A Crack in Everything

by Melanie Gruenwald

Today is a heavy day for Jews around the world. A day when our hope has been cracked.

Cracked, not broken. The semantics here matter.

When something is cracked, from the outside it seems to be broken. But wisdom is knowing that a crack only allows more light to shine through.

That is our superpower. No matter the pain, no matter the suffering, no matter the whole world turning against us, we emit light. We move forward, we hope.

And more importantly, we laugh. Laughter is strength. Laughter is survival.

Today we are all sitting shiva around our phones. Our light has been dimmed, but it is still shining.

Remember who you are. Remember who we are. Remember each one of us is a light.

We must carry on not in spite, but in LOVE. For Hersh, for Eden, for Ori, for Alex, for Almog, for Carmel, for all of them.

That is our superpower. That is why we are still here.

~ Author Unknown, 8/31/24

Sunday morning, I saw the news that six Israeli hostages were executed, just days before the IDF came to rescue them.

I’m not an expert on Israel or middle east politics. I do know a bit about grief, hope and making sense of that which should not happen.

I know what it is to live in the liminal space of not knowing. Of holding onto hope despite the odds. Of fighting tooth and nail for a solution that is driven by a glimmer of hope and unwavering love. I know about letting go… of burying my beloved child. And even when we bury our children, we find hope and purpose. We find a way to choose life.

For the families and people who love Hersh, Eden, Ori, Alex, Almog, Carmel, and for all of the others who were taken on that day and killed in this war-

Your children’s light is not gone. It will emanate through you, for you, and for your other beloveds. Life will move forward. You will fight in different ways, because of them, for them, for their light.

As you rise from shiva, you will see the world with a different set of eyes. One moment you might be living in ‘what was,’ another moment in ‘what should have been’ and an another moment, ‘what will be’. You’ll look at the world through their eyes- and wonder what they would be doing at any given moment, where they would be in your family moments, what they would say about the world around them.

You will find ways to rise- to laugh again- to remember their childhoods with smiles. To face another day without them. To live with greater intention, deeper love, and deeper expressions of love.

I pray you will find healing, find community,  and experience the power of love coming to you across the world.

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold — built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. Every break is unique and instead of repairing an item like new, the 400-year-old technique actually highlights the “scars” as a part of the design. Using this as a metaphor for healing ourselves teaches us an important lesson: Sometimes in the process of repairing things that have broken, we actually create something more unique, beautiful and resilient. ….Kintsugi reveals how to heal and shows you that you are better with your golden cracks.

~ Candice Kumai

The gold in kintsugi is connected to each of our lights- We all carry light, especially in our most cracked and vulnerable spaces. Recognize the power of your brokenness. Reflect on how has it given you voice and courage over the past 11 months.

Where will it strengthen you in the days, weeks and years to come? Where will the light shine? You might not know now, or in five months, or five years how this will manifest. Just keep breathing. Keep placing one foot in front of the other.

The light is yours. The strength is yours. The brokenness is yours.

Maybe you find healing. And embrace the light that emerges through your cracks.

With love,

Melanie