In the depths of winter, our sorrow, disappointment and old longings can feel heavier, making us question if sunlight will ever return to our hearts. Like a bare February landscape, pain strips us to the honest bone.

Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with precious metals like gold, serves as an inspiration for life. When our joy or stability shatters, we can transform the remaining pieces into something beautiful. Our hard-earned wisdom, self-compassion and unwavering faith act like precious metals, softening the edges and filling the deep cracks of our brokenness.

Witnessing a loved one fall apart is challenging, but sometimes our greatest act of support is allowing them the space to unearth the metaphorical gold needed for their own repair. Healing is a private and unique journey into the deep self, enabling the art of being fully human.

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on,” said poet Robert Frost, who endured the unspeakable loss of both parents at a young age, as well as the deaths of his wife and four of their six children. Like Frost, who turned tragedy into an artistic legacy, we can cultivate new life from our barren seasons and ruined harvests. We can take our darkest hours in hand to become mended vessels capable of holding future joy.

To embody the ancient metaphorical art of Kintsugi, consider these inspirations:

• Handwrite your losses on one piece of paper and the things that remain on another. Frame the latter and place it somewhere as a daily reminder.
  
  
• Tear heavy craft paper into large pieces; write a loss on each one, then reassemble the pieces. Pour metallic paint between the seams, let it dry and frame under glass as an art piece.
  
  
• Visualize being a tree with deep roots reaching into an underground river of gold, drawing up nourishment.

Marlaina Donato is an author, artist and composer. Connect at WildflowersAndWoodSmoke.com.

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