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Weaving Gold Into Life’s Story

Jan 30, 2026 09:27AM ● By Marlaina Donato
“A handmade ceramic bowl with visible gold repair lines displayed on a white background.”

Marco Montalti from Getty Images/CanvaPro

In the depths of winter, our sorrow, disappointment and old longings can feel heavier, making us question if sunlight will ever return to our hearts. Like a bare February landscape, pain strips us to the honest bone.

Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with precious metals like gold, serves as an inspiration for life. When our joy or stability shatters, we can transform the remaining pieces into something beautiful. Our hard-earned wisdom, self-compassion and unwavering faith act like precious metals, softening the edges and filling the deep cracks of our brokenness.

Witnessing a loved one fall apart is challenging, but sometimes our greatest act of support is allowing them the space to unearth the metaphorical gold needed for their own repair. Healing is a private and unique journey into the deep self, enabling the art of being fully human.

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on,” said poet Robert Frost, who endured the unspeakable loss of both parents at a young age, as well as the deaths of his wife and four of their six children. Like Frost, who turned tragedy into an artistic legacy, we can cultivate new life from our barren seasons and ruined harvests. We can take our darkest hours in hand to become mended vessels capable of holding future joy.

 

To embody the ancient metaphorical art of Kintsugi, consider these inspirations:

 

  • Handwrite your losses on one piece of paper and the things that remain on another. Frame the latter and place it somewhere as a daily reminder.

  • Tear heavy craft paper into large pieces; write a loss on each one, then reassemble the pieces. Pour metallic paint between the seams, let it dry and frame under glass as an art piece.

  • Visualize being a tree with deep roots reaching into an underground river of gold, drawing up nourishment.

 

Marlaina Donato is an author, artist and composer. Connect at WildflowersAndWoodSmoke.com.


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In-Print, Inspiration National Content February 2026

 

 

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Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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