The Importance of Family

Family is not only a group of people related by blood but strung together by love and care for one another. Family is a gift given to every soul in the world upon which a successful life can be built. With family, all things are possible. It is a place that you should look forward to coming home to everyday, somewhere you can feel safe and welcomed and accepted no matter what kind of day you’re having. There are many different interpretations of what a “good” family consists of. “Stone Soup” by Barbara Kingslover and “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith both focus on situations that families overcome using the strength of their love.

“Stone Soup,” primarily refers to families that are often judged in society for being unlike a traditional family that consists of mom, dad, sister, and junior, according to the essay. One quote from the book that refers to different types of families is, “To judge a family’s value by its tidy symmetry is to purchase a book for its cover” (Kingslover 19). The tidy symmetry is referring to a family that to society is normal and acceptable. To judge a family by if it’s according to society rules is the same as judging something for what it looks like on the outside. There surely could be a family with gay or blended parents who get along better than a family with “normal” parents. Another quote says, ”Divorce, remarriage, single parenthood, gay parents, and blended families simply are. They’re facts of our time” (Kingslover 16). I think it is true that every generations’ society has had a different perspective of what a normal/good/stable family should be like. Hopefully if more people listen to the views of family members of these so called broken homes the next generation will accept families how they are.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn also showed ideas about family. Throughout the story the Nolans struggle with everything from poverty to sexual assault to education to alcoholism.  Katie, the mother of the Nolans, has a strong sense of what family is all about and uses this strength to get her family out of situations as best as she can. In this quote we see Katie putting all her efforts into creating a better life for Neeley, “Katie would make him [Neeley] into the kind of man Johnny should have been” (Smith 96). Katie loved both Johnny and Neeley passionately in different ways and knew they both had the potential to be successful. She decided that she would do everything in her power to make sure he fufiled that potential. The other quote I recognized showed the family bond between siblings as opposed to mother to child, “My brother is next. His arm is just as dirty as mine so don’t be surprised. And you don’t have to tell him. You told me” (Smith 147). Francie tells this to the doctor when the doctor judges her for having a dirty arm when her and Neeley go to get their shots. This resembles how families should be proud of one another and where they are all coming from. Francie has a good sense of how families should function that she inherits from her mom.

I myself believe that the function of family is simple. Family are the people who god gave to you in your life to guide you down the path of love. Your family should show you unconditional love without a cost and that is what they are there for. Families do have problems and no family is perfect but as long as there is love for one another in families members’ hearts, there will always be forgiveness, trust, and acceptance between them. Not only is family the people that you are somewhat forced to spend your life with but the ones that someday you’ll appreciate more than any other thing in the world.

Sacredness Of The Ordinary

       Beauty can often be found in the ugliest of places. This is a common concept that shows up in life. Memories that associate with certain things can mean more to you than the object itself but these are the tangible things that you keep sacred to your heart. My baby dolls, for example, are dirty and ragged and to other people they are useless pieces of cotton and stuffing. To me, they are cherishable pieces of my childhood that I will always hold on to.

       The times I remember from my childhood were always shared with "Baby". From car rides when I would buckle her into a car seat to trips out of town or trips to a friend’s house, Baby always came along. I remember her always being a great listener, a good friend, and my favorite person to play with.

I believed that Baby’s favorite place to be was the beach so whenever I was there I always brought her. I spent every summer of my childhood, and so far my life, at the same little beach in Rockport, MA that has been in my family for a while now. I love everything about the beach. I would sit in the sand for hours while Baby sat next to me and build sand castles or dig holes. I also brought her in the ocean with me, but was careful not to get her wet. I took Baby on picnics, we traveled to other worlds of pretend together, and she would never disagree with me. This was just one of the childhood adventures that Baby reminds me of.

My family saw my love for baby since I received her as a communion gift. I would not sleep without her, I would not leave the laundry room when she was being washed, and I most certainly would not let anyone else hold her. Looking back on it now shows how simple times are when you’re small. To me, that doll was the world and I only worried about protecting her. It’s funny how at a young age you go at everything with a full heart. If you love something, like I loved Baby, you protect them and cherish them everyday. If you don’t like something, you are set off completely when it happens. I don’t know exactly why this changes as you age, but it must have to do with having the realization that you’re not living in a perfect world. When you think of the love you had for your favorite toy as a child you may recognize that it is not the same type of love you have for your best friend. With age people tend to look at the faults in everything. They see the ugliness of situations before they look for the beauty. This is what a stranger would do if they saw Baby. She may be ragged and she may be worn but the memories that come along with her wear and tear are too beautiful to forget.