Unmirrored: The Broken Mirror

Sometimes we give and give — kindness, love, energy — and it feels like no one notices. It can be easy to believe that means we’re not enough. But what if the problem isn’t with us? Elder Grace, The Culture Cre8or, reminds us that sometimes the mirrors around us are cracked — and they can’t reflect back the light we’re already shining.

The Broken Mirror

Liora was a 4th grader at Maplewood Elementary School. She was a kind child who always tried her best to be a good friend. She smiled at her classmates, saved seats at the lunch table, and shared her snacks. But most of the time, the other kids looked the other way or pretended not to notice her.

One afternoon, she whispered to herself, “Maybe no one wants to be my friend because I’m not good enough.” She often felt left out when she heard the other girls talk about their sleepovers and parties, never quite sure how to be included.

Elder Grace, a wise volunteer who always seemed to know when a child needed encouragement, happened to be nearby. She walked over, took Liora’s hand gently, and led her to the art room. In the corner stood an old mirror, cracked and cloudy.

“Look into this mirror,” Elder Grace said.

Liora leaned forward. She could see her face, but it was broken into pieces by the cracks.

“Do you see how the mirror shows you in pieces?” Elder Grace asked. “Does that mean you’re broken?”

Liora shook her head. “No. It just means the mirror is broken.”

“Exactly,”Elder Grace said with a soft smile. “Some people are like this mirror. They want to show kindness, but their own pain or confusion keeps them from reflecting it clearly. When you see rejection or silence, it doesn’t mean you’re not enough—it means their mirror can’t show you who you really are. A broken or dim mirror can’t reflect your light.”

Liora touched her reflection gently. For the first time, she felt lighter.

“Remember,” Elder Grace said, “you don’t need every mirror to tell you who you are. You can carry your own reflection inside. And when you find friends whose mirrors are clear, you’ll see yourself reflected just as you are—kind, bright, and enough.”

That afternoon at recess, something shifted. Instead of waiting to be chosen, Liora laughed and played by herself—twirling in the grass and chasing her shadow. For the first time, she wasn’t waiting for others to decide if she was worthy of friendship. She already knew.

Her laughter spread across the playground, and soon another girl wandered over. “That looks fun,” she said. “Can I play too?”

Liora smiled. She realized she didn’t need a friend to make her whole—but from her wholeness, a new friend had found her.

From Niki

This story is special to me because I know what it feels like to wait for others to show me I was enough. For years, I confused silence, rejection, or distance as proof that something was wrong with me. But I’ve learned what Elder Grace reminded Liora: sometimes people simply can’t reflect what they don’t carry inside themselves.

The turning point for me was realizing that I had to become the friend to myself first. Once I stopped waiting for broken mirrors to show me my worth and started reflecting love back to myself, I found freedom. And here’s the beauty of it: when I carried joy within, I began to attract others who could reflect it back clearly.

Maybe you’ve been waiting for someone to mirror your worth—at home, at school, or at work. My hope is that this story encourages you to stop waiting. Become the friend you need, love yourself deeply, and keep shining. The right mirrors—the right people—will see you as you truly are: whole, loved, and enough.

May this story remind you today to see your own reflection clearly and to always be the friend you most want to find.