What follows is a quote from When Mourning Comes by William B. Silverman and Kenneth M. Cinnamon.
The Scratch on the Diamond
“A king once owned a large, beautiful, pure diamond of which he was justly proud, for it had no equal anywhere. One day, the diamond accidentally sustained a deep scratch. The king called in the most skilled diamond cutters and offered them a great reward if they would remove the imperfection from his treasured jewel. But none could repair the blemish. The king was sorely distressed.
After a time a gifted lapidary came to the king and promised to make the rare diamond even more beautiful than it had been before. The king was impressed by his confidence and entrusted his precious stone to the lapidary’s care. And the man kept his word.
With superb artistry he engraved a lovely rosebud around the imperfection. He had used the scratch to make the stem of the flower.”
“When life bruises and wounds us, when our souls are torn and lacerated with grief, when our hearts are scratched with sorrow, we can use the scratches to etch a portrait of beauty.”
I believe that G-d has had his hand on my life all along. That the many experiences and portions of my life where I have not actively worshiped have still been part of what has been meant to teach me, guide me, provide for me, and ultimately been part of what I needed. I do not believe there is ONE Plan for my life, but rather that each turning I have made has contained within it something to teach or guide me. And, I always seem to reach out in faith when I have become most lost in my path.
My purpose is to be the best ME that I can be. To that end, everything that I can do to keep improving, whether learning a new skill or sharing myself or growing in my faith practice…all of it is part of my path.
Feathers of My Mind 