Your Scar Tells the Story of Love
It’s more than a scar, mama. More than a raised line of tender pink flesh, alien and unintended across otherwise ‘normal’ skin. It is a story.
It is the story of innocence lost, of a vision of what ‘should be’ forever altered. It is the story of changed expectations, of the sudden shift from the desired to the necessary, from autonomy to desperate trust, from friendly colored walls bathed in natural light to antiseptic-scented fluorescents gleaming off too-clean tile. It is the story of a heart, pushed to the most altruistic and daring love, that leapt to soothe breath-stealing fear, that reminded lips to smile and a soul to hope when so much felt lost. It is the story of a body, poked, and tested, that gave every ounce of strength to sustain another, that laid upon cold steel in tribute to a soul it had not yet met. It is a story of healing, of new limits learned and tested, of rage and grief, of forgiveness and empathy, of helplessness and newly found courage… It is the story of a mother, forged from changed plans and unquenchable love.
It is more than a scar; it is a mother’s love made physical. It is the tangible boundary between what existed before and what blossoms now, between the innocence that was and the bravery that was discovered, between an image on a monitor and a new life, beloved and oh-so worth it.
And so, in moments of longing and loathing, in moments of self-doubt and uncertainty, in moments when you find yourself before the bathroom mirror yearning for un-marked flesh, aching for what was and what you wish would have been, close your eyes and listen to the song of your strength. Listen to this body, this body that is different, but not less than it was. Listen to the story of your scar. It is not a villain to be defeated. It is not a shame to be locked away. It is not a failure to be faded or hidden. It is a story written upon your flesh. A story of a life saved. A story of selfless devotion. A story of a battle-tested survivor, deserving of compassion and capable of healing.
Your scar tells the story of profound and uncompromising love and is a testament to the power of the woman who bears it.
An Essay by Lindsay Bachman
