Kintsugi The Art of Repairing the Broken

AW AMONG WORLDS

Letter from the Editor

Welcome home, friends. I can say that with confidence to you, our readers, because you—more than most—are able to hold more than one “home” in your hearts. It is our hope that Among Worlds becomes one of your special “homes”—a place where people “get” you, where you don’t have to explain your confusing background, your ambiguous accent, or your “fusion” fashion choices. We hope that in this family your stories will be attended to with interest and that among these pages you will discover long-lost kin. May you feel renewed and strengthened after spending time with us to go back into this glorious world grateful for and proud of your TCK heritage.

I am blessed to be a second-generation TCK raising third-generation TCKs. However, this life that I would never trade for another includes some aches and pains that are particular to a globally mobile life. I don’t need to rehash them—you know them well. Sometimes I see my kids struggling with similar things—the ache of long-distance friendships, the hidden-immigrant syndrome of not feeling a sense of belonging in their “home” country, the restlessness and “itchy feet.” Thank God we can talk about it together—we understand each other in this home, and that goes a long way toward healing.

If home is where we are “stitched up” when we break, then this particular issue might do some mending for you. The Japanese art of kintsugi is a gift to the world, being so rich in analogy and metaphor. When a dish or jar breaks, it is carefully pieced back together using a lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum powder. This process highlights the “scars”—it doesn’t hide them. The flaws in each piece are considered a beautiful part of its story, its history. In this issue, you’ll read tales of gratitude for what scars have taught, stories of beauty emerging from brokenness, and advice on how and why we shouldn’t just give up and sit among the broken shards. Danielle Pruitt Cummings shares how devastating circumstances can ultimately lead to a healthy place of reordered identity and priorities. TCK teen Emma Arden Farmer shows us how she’s pieced together her European and American selves in small ways, building bridges along the way. TCK Training Director

Lauren Wells helps us visualize unpacking the “identity suitcase” many of us carry around. And writing mentor and publisher Jo Parfitt coaches us to “write ugly” as a way of processing in the moment our pain and loss. Enjoy these stories and more in this issue.

Research tells us that we TCKs experience much more loss, on average, than our peers who are not globally mobile. We can look at our lives and count the cracks. Our hope, though, is that you’ll come to the last page of this issue already beginning to experience the mending you need—and that your life will be all the more beautiful for your golden cracks.

Personally, I am honored to have found a “home” at Among Worlds as editor, and I look forward to engaging with my TCK tribe as I hear your stories. So, welcome home to all of us! Love,

Rachel