Every ember is someone who made it through. This is the text-only version of the interactive experience: read stories from people around the world, give kudos, or add your own.
433 stories from 52 countries, 1976 kudos given in total.
During so many years I've been doubting myself and my own worth as a professional violinist, thinking I wasn't good enough, that I would never achieve my dream of being part of a professional orchestra and that I would disappoint my loved ones.
What glows
After years of therapy, I've learned to love myself the way I am, to believe in me, and to always search for my own light, even in the darkest times. This path hasn't been easy, but I finally achieved what I thought I would never do 💙 And also learned how much I enjoy being there for other people struggling as I was doing, so it inspired me to study psychology and help others find their own glow.
What burned me was that in 3 years I lost my parents-in-law and, most recently, my husband. Grief is devastating, punishing, it leaves us on fire and without hope. Losing someone we love makes us colder, more distant, more rational than emotional. I became someone I was not. The tears burn, the longing kills. I feel like I am burning.
What glows
What shines is the courage I have had. The courage to keep going on for myself and for them. They would want me to keep living, to win battles and receive the medals. And I want to keep going to fulfill my dreams and find the happiness, peace and love I long for so much. I know I can become that Rosa again, with a heart full of love to give. The love is inside, the heart is only closed. This fight is hard but I know I will win. For me.
Machine-translated into English. Show the original text of Rosa M.
What burned (original)
O que me queimou foi em 3 anos perder os meus sogros e por último o meu marido. O luto é devastador, castigador, deixa-nos em chamas e sem esperança. Perder alguém que amamos torna-nos mais frios, mais distantes, mas racionais do que emocionais. Tornei-me naquilo que eu não era. As lágrimas queimam, a saudade mata. Sinto-me a queimar.
What glows (original)
O que brilha é a coragem que tenho tido. A coragem de continuar aqui por mim e por eles. Eles quereriam que eu continuasse a viver, a vencer batalhas e a receber as medalhas. E eu quero continuar aqui para realizar os meus sonhos e encontrar a felicidade, paz e amor que tanto anseio. Sei que posso voltar a ser aquela Rosa com o coração cheio de amor para dar. O amor está dentro, o coração apenas está fechado. Está luta é dura mas sei que vou vencer. Por mim.
Track
Don't Pray for Me
Mónika M.
Balotaszállás, Hungary
What burned
It was hard when my mother died and I had to live completely alone. I lost my job then, too. The plan was that she would come home from the hospital and I would take care of her. In the end I was left alone in a big house, with no work and no means of living.
What glows
My sister gave me strength. She is the only one I have left.
She got married, and soon, on December 25th, her daughter will be born, a little girl they had been waiting for years.
Machine-translated into English. Show the original text of Mónika M.
What burned (original)
Nehéz volt amikor meghalt édesanyám, és teljesen egyedül kellett élnem, munkámat akkor vesztettem el, úgy volt hogy hazajön a kórházból és én fogom gondozni. Végül egyedül maradtam egy nagy házban, munka és megélhetés nélkül
What glows (original)
A testvérem adott erőt, ő maradt csak nekem.
Férjhez ment, és nemsokára, december 25- én megszületik a kislánya, akit már évek óta vártak
Track
Ice Queen
Liz B.
Haarlem, Netherlands
What burned
The divorce of my parents hit me like a brick, and because of how unwilling I was to accept the matter I put away my feelings until I couldn’t really hide them anymore.
What glows
When I started to process everything, it made me understand things more and also made me realize that I’ve learned about love, seeing how it wrecked my parents and how I want love to look for myself. It made me able to fall in love with someone and not make their mistakes.
Gina K.
Marsberg, Germany
What burned
The loss of my father this year was one of my darkest times.
What glows
My family, friends and my dog at home are always there and keep building me back up.
Machine-translated into English. Show the original text of Gina K.
What burned (original)
Der Verlust meines Vaters dieses Jahr war eines meiner dunkelsten Zeiten.
What glows (original)
Meine Familie,Freunde und mein Hund daheim sind immer da und bauen mich immer wieder auf
Matt N.
Krakow, Poland
What burned
I've been struggling with addiction for over 10 years. I recently lost someone I loved, who couldn't bear to watch me relapse after a year of sobriety. I could no longer turn a blind eye to my own shadow.
What glows
I received support from my family, even though I've had a very complicated relationship with them over the past few years. For the first time in my life, I want to recover for myself. I know this is the only way to truly succeed and finally put an end to my pain.
Right now I feel lost, I feel like I have no worth, I'm afraid to watch life pass by while I feel frozen, it hurts to see how I try with all my strength not to sink and sometimes feel that it's not enough
What glows
I never imagined that such a pure and unexpected being would give me the courage not to give up, a small pet has brought light into my life, life is worth it... don't give up, don't go out, stay strong
Machine-translated into English. Show the original text of Aspen A.
What burned (original)
Justo ahora me diento perdido, siento que no tengo valor, tengo miedo al ver como pasa la vida mientras yo me siento congelado, me duele ver como intento con todas mis fuerzas no hundirme y a veces sentir que no es suficiente
What glows (original)
Nunca imagine que un ser tan puro e inesperado me diera el valor de no rendirme, una pequeña mascota ha dado luz a mi vida, la vida vale la pena… no se rindan, no se apaguen, sigan fuertes
Track
The Purge
Koen S.
Leiden, Netherlands
What burned
Lost multiple jobs, got close to losing my child and wife.
What glows
My child is doing fantastic and me and my wife are still happily married.
Track
Don't Pray for Me
Denny E.
Zurich, Switzerland
What burned
I’ve been battling Depression for the last 1 1/2 years and it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through
What glows
I’m still here, my boyfriend and cats are still with me and each day gets better
Seven years of my life were consumed by a relationship marked by emotional and psychological abuse. I lost pieces of myself trying to hold together something that was slowly breaking me. I questioned my worth, silenced my feelings, and mistook endurance for love. What burned wasn’t just a relationship. It was the version of me who believed that loving someone meant accepting the pain they caused.
What glows
What remains is the part of me that refused to disappear. My kindness, my sensitivity, my love for music, animals, and the little things that make life beautiful. I am learning that peace is not loneliness, that walking away can be an act of courage, and that love should never require losing yourself. I may carry scars, but they no longer define me. After everything, I am still here. And there is still light in me.
I was a victim of various types of abuse when I was a child.
What glows
I chose to be a teacher to help children understand that they are subjects of rights and do not deserve to suffer any kind of violence.
Track
The Reckoning
Franck N.
Quimper, France
What burned
I lost a baby a year ago. I thought I was never going to be happy again
What glows
It gave me willingness to live my life 100%
Track
Sing Like A Siren
Lice H.
Lille, France
What burned
This year, I lost almost everything: a long relationship, the home I shared, my job, and the future I had spent years imagining. But the truth is, life had already been difficult long before everything fell apart. For months, I felt completely shattered, as if I had lost not only my life as I knew it, but also the person I used to be. And somehow, I had to rebuild myself from nothing, stepping into a unknown future with no certainty, no direction, and no idea where I belonged.
What glows
What still glows is the part of me that refused to disappear. Slowly, I learned to laugh again, spend time with friends, find joy in small things, and reconnect with myself : I had lost along the way. Music and creativity helped me find my way back to myself. Time has brought a little perspective, and today, for the first time in a long while, I can finally see the light ahead.
My father stabbing me in my back when I was running on empty
What glows
My small child- My love, My hope, My life
Track
The Purge
Paulina M.
Warsaw, Poland
What burned
The death of many loved ones at a young age due to cancer
What glows
Family, friends, the love of my life.
Machine-translated into English. Show the original text of Paulina M.
What burned (original)
Śmierć wielu bliskich osób w ich młodym wieku z powodu raka
What glows (original)
Rodzina, przyjaciele, miłość mojego życia.
Track
The Purge
Theo J.
Richmond, VA, United States
What burned
When I was in high school, I sometimes broke stuff. More often than other kids. My parents called me problematic, difficult, and ever since I have the feeling I am always the one to blame. I ended in a marriage, that made me feel I was never good enough.
What glows
After years of being in a toxic marriage, I gained the strength and self confidence to file for a divorce. Ever since I came to realize that it were my inner demons, and therapy has brought me a dream life now!
Track
Ritual
Caroline W.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
What burned
I lost my mom when I was 15. That and the aftermath - was the hardest thing I've gone through in life.
What glows
Music was my way of processing my emotions and it helped me get through a lot of hard times. I now even work in the music industry - so although I experienced something so horrible, I gained something out of it that gave me a future!
Oli I.
Berlin, Germany
What burned
I split with the woman I most relied on in my life, After 20j of relationship and 18j of co-living, it was a very hard move to me living on my own again now.
What glows
I understood this is for the best of us ... even for the relationship, we now may keep in a way and can develop in a new way. Realizing and living our own needs and visions in separate places now, lets us grow!
Maja S.
Uppsala, Sweden
What burned
I grew up with a father who drank, and as a child I learned to read his footsteps in the hallway to know what kind of evening it would be. I became good at being invisible, and that habit followed me far into adulthood, into relationships where I never dared to take up space.
What glows
My therapist once told me that I am allowed to be a child in my own stories. Now I write letters to my younger self and read them aloud to her, and she finally seems to listen.
Machine-translated into English. Show the original text of Maja S.
What burned (original)
Jag växte upp med en pappa som drack, och som barn lärde jag mig att läsa av hans steg i hallen för att veta vilken sorts kväll det skulle bli. Jag blev duktig på att vara osynlig, och den vanan följde med mig långt in i vuxenlivet, in i relationer där jag aldrig vågade ta plats.
What glows (original)
Min terapeut sa en gång att jag får vara ett barn i mina egna berättelser. Nu skriver jag brev till mitt yngre jag och läser dem högt för henne, och hon tycks äntligen lyssna.
Track
Sing Like A Siren
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