See (Five Minute Friday)

New year, still late to the posting party. Life just gets in the way. It's ok.

Welcome to the (late) edition of Five Minute Friday. Join me in the crowd of writers over at Lisa-Jo's place. Time well spent.

The rules:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

Go.

When you see me, what do you see? As I ponder this, I wonder - what do I want you to see? Do I hide what you most need to see. Do I cover up the parts that make the story of my life the amazement that it is?

For you can surely see the smiles, the laughter. But have you seen the sadness and the tears? I know you can see the joy - the after. But have you seen the broken? The before? The wonder of my life, and where I am now, is not just because of what it looks like today. It's the healing that has come after the hurt. If you don't know where I've been, you can't fully appreciate where I am now. If I don't let you see the past - perhaps not every ugly detail (because who really wants all that? I don't even want to relive a lot of it) - but at least the broad brush strokes of what was - then how can I expect, or even hope, for you to see the joy of the here and now?

And so it is with my journey - not just the destination, but the path towards it. For it's on the day by day steps where we can see the growth - the change - the recovery - the healing. And when I look back, if you've been able to see the whole thing, then I think you just might be a little closer to seeing who I am.

Stop.