Torture=Truth

“Only torture will bring out the truth.”

I find this statement to be very true. Sometimes we aren’t even aware of what or how we truly feel unless we are under some kind of pressure. We don’t realize the severity of how grief takes a toll in our lives unless we are faced with it. Not just in the grieving process but in everyday life we are stumped not knowing what truth really is until we are put to a test which many times may cause pain.

We often go through experiences which seem unbearable for the time being, but it’s during that time of pain that we can see what our motives, beliefs, and doubts truly are. It is in those times where we will question and seek answers from wherever possible. Times of doubt will certainly come, and our world may be completely shaken inside out, upside-down and all around. We might not think as we did. All pre-conceived thoughts may be proven false, the small flame of hope we had is no longer lit but all we see is the smoke rising from where it was blown off. Then what about what we believed to be true, should hold tight to what we know to be truth or will that too add to the pain of not knowing what truth is?

In the end, may our hope be on the rock of our salvation; the one who holds us in the palm of his hand. He says we are the apple of his eye and if so, may we be steadfast in knowing that he is and will always be faithful. And even through those times of doubt may we be willing to cry out in all honesty expressing our true thoughts and feelings. By doing so may we come to the realization that he is God no matter where we stand or what circumstance we may be facing.

A Grief Observed

Reading this book really displayed a different view of what death may feel like for our loved ones and ourselves. I have never experienced the death of a close relative or friend therefore I am not able to fully relate with what C.S Lewis went through. Because of this book I feel I have a better understanding of what grief may look or be like. I don't I am fully prepared to face it any time soon but it is something I honestly had not thought about. i really enjoyed how honest he is and willing he is to share his own experience dealing with grief. He really does show and explains the reality of grieving. It is not a cookie cutter response or the cliche. Even during his rough moments when he's upset and doubtful he is showing the reality of what one goes through during the grieving process, which not many people are willing to share with such honesty. Many times we think to comfort someone who is grieving is to say that everything is going to be okay and the their loved one is in a much better place but reality is we may not even know that. Grieving is not easy to get over; its not going to be something to simply pat down or give a weak response to- it will all be okay. No, reality is those grieving will become depressed, they will doubt and question, they may even become angry at times. C.S.Lewis makes it clear how normal it is for human beings to grieve. It is a natural consequence of the loss of a loved one.
As I read I wondered why we don't talk about death or grief. One of the reason's i think we tend to avoid talking about grief is because it makes us feel uncomfortable. I'm not saying we should talk about it everyday and take it to an extreme. I do however think that grief is something we should be aware of and know how to deal with. We may not have it all figured out and we may not have all the answers but what if we could do something more to help those who are grieving. Instead of saying what we think they want to here or how we think we will be when we lose a loved one, we are at least aware and can be somewhat ready, if at all possible to deal with it. Death and grieving is reality and it doesn't have to be a bad thing.

Happy Endings

This story really surprised me. So many times due to movies, novels, and other means of the media we are known happy endings to be well.. “happy”/ The media paints a picture of what happy should be or look like but by doing so many times we are then driven away from reality. Reality is that not all love stories will end in a happy ending. Just as in the reading when John the husband shoots his wife Mary, and her lover. Some would justify what the wife and her lover did as okay because the husband was probably doing the same or maybe he just wasn’t meeting her needs; they might have loved each other at one point but not anymore.

In the other case where John never really loved Mary but simply used her to his own pleasure. Mary allows this to continue because she loves John and hopes that someday he will love her in return. In the end Mary ends up taking pills hoping that John would come looking for her but that doesn’t happen. I personally would not have considered this ending to be happy because well, it’s not but it is reality.

Reading through these various options of happy endings I came to the realization that all these tragic stories occur more than we think. Reality is people everywhere are looking for love, to love, and to be loved. Some endings really do end happily where love is being given as much as it is being received. There are other endings where one loves more than the other, others might not even be love but infatuation or obsession. Reality is these stories happen everyday and we don’t even realize it.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

While reading the story I found myself thinking and questioning my own beliefs and thoughts on love? What do I know love to be? How is love expressed? What are the actions of love? I also wonder whether It is possible for a “crazy” person to love? In the story, Ed physically abused his wife but he continuously claimed to love her. One could ask, “How is it possible to love someone when you are the cause of their pain”. How can you claim to love someone when you hurt them physically, mentally and emotionally? We have been taught that love is not self seeking but self-less, it is nor rude but kind. How then is it possible for him to say he loves her when his actions say otherwise?

In the same story there is also an elderly couple who were in a tragic accident in which both the husband and wife were badly injured. Due to the accident they were both in casts from head to foot. The elderly woman seemed to be improving whereas her husband seemed to be depressed. When the doctor asked what was wrong the elderly man expressed he was feeling depressed because he could not see his wife due to the cast. This elderly man wasn’t thinking for himself but was more worried for his wife. Even when the doctor informed him that his wife was recovering all he wanted was to see the face of his beautiful wife. Is that how love is supposed to be?

In Ed’s case, I think Ed’s demonstration of love might have been influenced by tough life experiences. Ed probably had a rough childhood. I also wonder if Ed was always like that or if it wasn’t until later in life that he changed. What caused Ed to think the way he did about love. What happened in his own life that misconstrued his thought of love? In the end I wonder even though he wasn’t in his right mind, is he still capable of loving?

LIteracy Profile

My earliest memories of literature are The Three :Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and Robin Hood. Some nursery rhymes I remember are: Mary Had A Little Lamb, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Skip to my Lou and a couple of Spanish nursery rhymes as well. My most memorable children's book is Do You Like Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. I clearly remember reading and rereading the book multiple times. As I grew older I disliked reading very much, I hated having to read for homework in elementary school and I thought I would never pick up reading as a hobby or find reading as something fun to do. I was wrong! It was in eighth grade that my perspective of reading completely changed. I began to realize how much I've gained from reading already and how much more there was to learn. I began reading different genres to find which one I enjoyed the most and with every book I read I was always amazed at how much I learned through reading. Now reading has become one of my favorite hobbies.

My most significant literacy text for is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. It is an amazing book of God's unconditional redeeming love.

As an Elementary Ed. major I know literacy to be essential in a person's life. Literacy expands the way we think, it opens our minds to new ideas, different perspectives, and views as well as enabling us to make our own interpretations of whatever the text may be. Literacy for younger kids helps develop their imagination and awakens their creativity. That is why i find literacy so important.