Discovering Buried Treasure.
August 8, 2024
Can you see a common theme woven throughout your life? A thread that entwined its way around your heart first as a child through uninhibited play? Could this strand be knit into the very fiber of your being as a protection to see you through your darkest days? Could it be part of a larger work being created in you to ultimately give your life meaning and purpose? Is it possible that it leads to your life’s treasure?
I look back and see a repurposed pattern taking shape from my early days, woven together
uniquely for me as a sign of God’s faithfulness to also repurpose my seemingly broken and discarded past.
As a child I repurposed scrap plywood into a hotel for ants (who knows why?). I mixed
perfumes and lotions to create re-concocted scents for my “perfume shop”. I transformed my collection of dull stones into shiny treasure with my rock polishing machine (it wasn’t always successful, but I loved the notion)
Early on, my mom instilled in me the adventure of finding “treasures” at garage sales, flea markets and second-hand stores.
I was always drawn to art created from unexpected, throwaway items.
My healing journey freed my dormant “artist child” who was initially afraid to come out and play. But I kept coaxing her until she finally did.
I began creating old stuff into new creations. Old wooden boxes were especially appealing to me. I envisioned visual stories nestled inside. Through paint, collage and scraps of this and that, I brought my visions to life. They were holy little “shrines” that helped heal my heart through the work of my hands.
It dawned on me that I was actually creating pieces that were symbolic of my own repurposed journey of healing, of being made new through faith in Jesus and discovering hidden, creative gifts.
My journey became less about creating and more about “giving away” what I had learned and experienced. I wanted other women, who’d suffered as I had, to feel the same therapeutic benefits and understand that their lives also held value and potential for repurposing.
Mend on the Move was born, employing abused women in Detroit to create jewelry from repurposed auto parts.
I moved on from Mend repurposing my life once again as a writer and speaker with a passion to share my story to inspire other survivors to reimagine their hidden pasts as potential treasure.
I see strands of the same thread in my daughters’ lives. They, too, love to thrift clothes and goods. Our Black Friday tradition is to head to the Salvation Army for their five for $5 deals, instead of the mall or big box stores. My youngest has even founded an upcycled clothing brand (@Delicate Cycle) repurposing t-shirts into new garments in an effort to reduce clothing waste.
It’s a repurposed life! My hidden past and love of seeing the potential in discards, especially in my own life, have become my purpose and passion. My life’s treasure.
Do you feel a tug on your own heart
as you read this?
Is there buried treasure just waiting to be discovered?