The winds of time blow, quickly turning the pages of my life story. Amidst the magic of a candle lit glow, my pen glides upon the blank pages of my journal, my thoughts uncaged. I reflect on the chapters that I have lived, acknowledge the chapter that I am in, and try to imagine the storyline that lies within the chapters to come.

Upon closing the journal, I walk through the dimly lit room and blow out the candle, smoke lingers in the air and a sense of peace rushes over me. Finding myself alone in the darkness, I stumble toward the light switch to turn the light on.

With the flick of the switch, the room is lit once again and there I stand, face to face with a someone I do not recognize, someone I am not sure I have ever met. My face becomes bewildered as my eyes study the person who lies before me.

Who IS this stranger gazing back at me?

The hands on the clock turn round, minutes pass though they feel like hours. Still, I stand, studying the reflection in the mirror.

How did I get here, when did I become her?

It seems to me that just last month I was swinging carelessly with my best friends at recess, just last week I endured the awkwardness of middle school, and as though yesterday I had walked across the stage to receive my high school diploma. But she’s not a child staring back at me, nor an awkward teenager, she’s a woman.

Though the woman standing in the mirror and I had locked our hazel eyes many times before, this had been the first time that I hadn’t run away; fleeing from the anxiety, overwhelmed with noticing only the imperfections. At last I was not uncomfortable in the presence of the person staring back at me.

Still I saw her scars, her flaws. But moreover, I saw her beauty, and I was so very proud of her. When I looked in the mirror I was content, I was happy.

I knew that throughout her story she had found herself tipped over by the gusts of life many times before. She’d been brought to her knees, shattered. She grew used to picking up the pieces, cherishing every one, and putting them back together. She didn’t realize in those difficult moments that every hardship, every anxious and overwhelming thought was preparing her for something greater.

All along she was being prepared for the day that she’d meet the person she had become.

And although through the darkness it’s hard to see the light, I have come to learn that it is a pivotal moment when we realize that we need not to hide in the dark, when we see ourselves as worthy and realize that we were all born to shine.

Looking in the mirror you may not see it at this moment. You may feel lost or broken as you face changing winds.

But far too quickly the winds of time will blow the pages of your life story,  and years will fade. Find peace in knowing that the hard times, the difficult chapters will also pass and you will learn, you will grow; you will find strength within yourself that you never knew existed.

In the writing of your life story, don’t fear the winds of change. Sometimes those are the winds that we need to find our true direction, our purpose, and to realize who we really are.

Don’t wait for the winds to calm, or for the storm to pass.

Your time to shine is now.