Friday, September 9, 2011
Walking in Another’s Shoes, Or Trying to, Anyway...
The personal essay entitled “Families (that have been torn, re-cut with dull scissors, and then messily glued back together) Are Forever” had a profound effect on me. While I have not experienced the effects of divorce in my own life, I have observed several families and their children that are watching their family unravel right before their eyes. I have often tried to imagine how these broken wives, husbands and children must feel, but my feelings can only go as far as sympathy. However, when I read this essay, I was opened up to the seemingly contradictory ideas of frustration and progression. At the end of this essay, the author writes that even though she and her stepmother forgave each other for their misdoings, they still have occasional problems, but that was all apart of the process of learning to love her. The very last line seemed to resonate with me, “It is these few years on Earth that we are given to forge relationships that will last for all time.” While I cannot directly relate to this author’s experience, I do understand that creating and building relationships is not easy. Reading of experiences such as this one, not only make me more grateful for the family I have, but also of the pliability of the human spirit. As humans, we are able to recognize faults, correct the mistakes and implement change. On the surface, this essay was about a new family that was having trouble making a functional life happen, but deeper it is really about learning from trials each of us are given in life.
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I too have not had any experience with divorce in my immediate family, but I have seen the effects on others. It was difficult to see my friends go through the separation of their parents and the resulting aftermath. My friend had a rough time with her parents divorce; it has affected her views on families and the roles of parents. It is tough to see people torn apart because of divorces. I enjoyed this essay because it allowed me to see what a person feels as their parents get a divorce and how they try to make it with their new family. I also liked the last line of the essay. It made me reflect on my own relationships with my family, and it made me thankful for all that they have given me.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I want to applaud the author for the creative title of this narrative. I probably would have ended up calling it “Stepmother” or “Family Relationships.” Nevertheless, I thought the significance and lessons that she learned all from an ugly dress were remarkable. It was such a small and simple action and yet, she was able to learn from the experience. It reminds me of the scripture in Alma that reads, “…by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” Although the context is quite different, I think the lesson can still be applied. There are so many everyday things that happen in my life that I don’t try to relate to gospel doctrine or try to search for a moral/theme to go with them. This reminded me that I should start to do that. Out of a stepmother’s action to give her a hideous dress, she learned an incredible life lesson on families. I’m sure there are times in my life where I should do the same.
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