Beautiful Scars

I was watching an interview a few weeks ago with a famous back-up singer, who spoke about a tragic accident later in her life that caused her to lose two legs.  Merry Clayton sang famously with the Rolling Stones and went on to many other acclaimed back up performances along with a career on her own that also included stints on film.  In the interview, she explained that when awaking from several surgeries after her accident in 2014, her doctor had to advise her that her legs had been amputated due to the severe nature of the injuries.  Her response was simple, "what about my voice"?  The surgeon quickly explained that there was no issue with her vocal chords and her voice was fine.  She then commented that this was her gift and as long as she still had that, she would be alright.  I thought about her powerful response to such a traumatic event and could not help but feel her strength, courage and light that emanated from her.  These types of interviews propel much personal reflection for me, especially since I am a huge fan of human testimonies which can transform others through their telling.  How many of us have endured something tragic and as helpless as we felt, were able to get up the next day with the strength needed to get through and slowly overcome that deep difficulty?  I am sure volumes of books could be written after scouring the world to find the many gold nuggets of stories from everyday heroes that may not have seen the limelight.  If you are a child of immigrants, like I am, that alone evokes many examples of what my family members endured in order to come to this country to seek a better life.  Although I heard of some stories in particular from my grandmother growing up, I know that there were many more that were probably not shared because they were too painful or perhaps felt that they were not important enough to tell.  I always asked many questions of my grandmother when she was in a story telling mood. A piece of one that I remember quite vividly, was that in the hot summer months while living in Mexicali, Mexico across the U.S. border, she would come home from work at night to a small room with no fan or even more unimaginable then...air conditioning.  The weather at night cooled down to the high 90 degrees and she would get her bed sheet and dampen it with water to cover herself up and feel a bit cooler.  I think about that story every now and then, especially when I want to complain in the summer that it is too hot outside.  I remind myself that I not only have more than one fan in my house, I can set my thermostat to 70 degrees if I wanted.  Because of those who came before me, I am living a much better life with very little to complain about in the grand scheme of things.  My other thoughts from inspiring stories such as Ms. Clayton's when they mention gifts, is that I also remind myself to nurture the gifts that I have and to share as much as I can with those that can use a helping hand.  Sometimes, helping is not a personal physical act and other times it can be.  The main point is that the act of doing for others helps you remember what your gifts are and also provides for a shot of adrenaline that could do more for you than any energy drink.  The final item I will leave you with is what Ms. Clayton said about the scars she bears from her accident.  For her, she felt that those scars were beautiful because they will always remind her of the grace she was given to get through a difficult part of her life.  My ending thought to myself was that I too should be proud of all of the scars I carry whether visible or not. They help remind me of everything I have endured in my own life, as I too have been given grace on many occasions, without necessarily feeling that I deserved it.  I hope that you think of your own scars as badges of honor too, so that when given the opportunity you can share with others how you were able to overcome and grow to be the person that you see looking back at you in the mirror today.   Remember that all of the scars attributable to your life are beautiful too!   

        "Scars. A sign that you had been hurt. 

A sign that you had healed.”
       

― Benjamin Alire Sáenz