December 14, 2021 — As heartbroken as the tornado survivors must be, there they are on the news, bravely telling their uplifting stories of the strength and bonds holding their communities together. And along with their most harrowing memories of the storm, they’re also sharing memories full of joy.
The following story isn’t one they told; it’s one that’s made the rounds on the internet for years now. Those of us who were together in cardie yoga yesterday heard it from instructor Paola, who closed the class by reading it to us. It’s just too timely and right not to share with you now:
“I was in Dollar Tree last night, and there was a lady and two kids behind me in the long line. One kid was older and the other a toddler. The bigger one had a pack of glow sticks, and the toddler was screaming for them. The mom opened the pack and gave him one, which stopped his tears.
“The toddler walked around with it, all smiles, until the bigger boy took it away. The screaming started again and, just as the mom was about to step in, the big brother snapped the glow stick and handed it back to the toddler.
“When the toddler saw that the stick was now glowing, his big brother explained, ‘I had to take and break it so it would glow.’
“Hearing that, l could hear God saying to me, ‘I had to break you for you to see why I created you … you had to go through it so you could fulfill your purpose.’
“That precious child was happy simply swinging that ‘unbroken’ glow stick around because he didn’t understand what it was created to do, which was to glow. There are some people who are content just ‘being,’ while some of us are chosen to be ‘broken.’
“We have to get sick.
We have to lose a job.
We go through a divorce.
We have to bury our spouse, parents, best friend, or our child …
“In those moments of desperation, we were broken. But when the breaking is done, we start to see the reason for which we were created. And when you see us glowing, you’ll know that we have been broken.”
Whether in those nine tornado-torn states or across the street, we surely all know people feeling the pain of being broken. Through this week, we’ll donate half the money you spend on support & encouragement cards to the American Red Cross on your behalf. Let’s get glowing, cardies. Thanks for caring.
Jodee Stevens
Founder & Chief Creative
“Some of us are chosen to be broken” … it’s God’s will. Perhaps that’s a card, perhaps not; however, it so resonated with me (due to my own path) that I thought I’d swing over to say how beautiful that story and how you shared. A lovely sentiment, thought, ponderance to launch my morning and day. Thank you.