Glory in the Storm

When I was a kid, I retreated into my inner world often to escape from painful and chaotic situations going on around me. I also experienced selective mutism, which means that I would have moments of such intense anxiety that I would be unable to speak, even if I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I came to believe, deep inside of me, that if I ever disagreed or spoke up, I would be in grave danger.

So from a young age, I started losing sight of who | really was, what I really wanted or liked or disliked, because l was focused on blending in, and even disappearing completely, in order to feel safe.

I recently remembered a powerful note someone wrote me after we worked for a summer together in Honduras. She wrote, "Marissa, you are like a good book. I encourage you to open up and let people read your pages."

Now, 10 years later, I am coming back to her advice--working to rediscover myself, renounce every lie of unworthiness, and share my pages without feeling the need to rewrite them first.

The title of this piece is a reminder that some of the most beautiful things bloom from the moments when we decide to let others in to weather our storms with us.


"Glory in the Storm"
18x24" oil & mixed media on gallery wrapped canvas