This post may not seem very crafty, and, it’s not. It is my belief that craft and creativity can help us work through hard times in our lives. Sometimes, however, we might need a little helping hand in order to get to where we feel like creating. Over the years I’ve worked with survivors of myriad causes in different capacities, and their fighting spirits never cease to amaze me. The most memorable individuals I’ve worked with have been refugees from countries at war, and it is with their resilience and fire that I wanted to mention this book. There are have also been times when I could have benefited from this book, too, as my acts of creativity are often acts of strength and fighting back.

Along with living with an open heart, I think that another thing people must strive for is refusing to be broken. But then again, I guess you don’t need to refuse anything if you’ve never needed to be fixed. But, if you have found yourself muddled and angry and frightened and screaming and running and alone and tired and hurting and lost all at the same time, you might know what I’m talking about.

Sometimes I get sent things in the post to have a look at, and when the book I Will Not Be Broken: 5 Steps to Overcoming a Life Crisis appeared on my doorstep, I wasn’t sure what was in store for me. It’s a new book written by Jerry White, co-founder of the Landmine Survivors Network, which is now known as Survivor Corps. Over the next few nights, I read the book before going to sleep, finishing it in just a few days.

According to White, the 5 steps towards healing after disaster are: face facts, choose life, reach out, get moving and give back. The 5 points work from inside out, from facing yourself to giving back to others. As he does a much better job than I would at explaining them, the chapters are online in PDF version here.

As White elucidates on these 5 steps via personal stories, almost each page was met with someone else’s story of genocide, war, illness, abuse and so forth. The first few chapters were sometimes hard, but as the book continued on, I started to remember all the fighters I know who’ve wrestled their demons and won. Some of them took years before they took the steps needed, while others started fighting from the start. All of them won, not because they were extraordinary, but because we’re stronger than we think.

I Will Not Be Broken, may not be for everyone, but for those who might need a little forward momentum in tough times, it may help generate some steps in the right direction. In refusing to be broken, we recognize that small voice of hope and love and kindness that still exists despite where misfortune or horror may have taken us. Sometimes that voice seems impossible to find and laughable to think of, but it’s there. Some of us take longer to find that voice than others. But it will be found, cared for, loved and nurtured. It just may take a little time, a little patience, and a lot of love.