Blindsided - Walking Into Freedom
A Buttons and Bows Tale
“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” - Mark Twain
“She forgave him?!” I exclaimed as the Proprietress came to the end of the second part of the story.
“Yes,” the Proprietress said.
“I would be feeling so angry and betrayed - not to mention violated - that I don’t think I could stand to be in the same room with him, let alone accept food from him or have a conversation.”
“I confess I was a little stunned myself,” the Proprietress admitted. “But her description of how and why she forgave him made me think of the people I’ve been unable to forgive in my life. Her attacker knew he’d done a terrible thing and kept coming back again and again to apologize.”
“That’s true,” I acknowledged. “At least he admitted he’d done something awful and wanted to make things right.”
“Exactly,” the Proprietress said. “I realized that the people I can’t forgive are the ones who show no remorse - who refuse to take responsibility for the pain they caused.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “I even know a few who claim they’re the victims of the situation.”
“Ah yes,” the Proprietress said. “The woman made me do it.”
“So is there more to the story?” I asked. “I see you still have a few more sheets of paper in front of you.”
“Yes, there is,” the Proprietress said. “Are you sure you want to hear the conclusion?”
“Are you kidding?” I laughed. “There’s no way I’m leaving until I’ve heard the ending.”
“Okay, then buckle up. It’s a doozy.”
NOTE: Part III of Blindsided was written by Tizz O’Toole.
About a Year Later: Kindred Spirits
The young woman drove home from her friends’ house. Her older children talked quietly. The youngest, only three, slept in the back seat. It had been a night of healing for her, and she hoped for all of her children as well. For the first time in a long time, she felt a kind of peace.
That night, she and her friends had performed a sacred ceremony which joined their two families forever. They each lit candles on a wreath she’d created. She’d made the wreath from pine in the shape of an open heart. Around the edges of the heart were candle holders with cloth flowers glued in between. There was one candle for each of them - seven in all. The biggest candle was at the base. On one side of the wreath were two smaller candles, and on the other were four. The two on the right symbolized her baby’s new parents. She herself, and each of her children, were symbolized by the four candles on the left of the wreath.
The young woman lit her candle first and then her children lit theirs from hers. Then she used her candle to light the biggest candle at the base which represented her baby daughter. From there, the baby’s new mom and dad lit their candles. It was a quiet ceremony but the emotion was strong for all of them. Their baby slept in her new mother’s arms.
This cut, the young woman knew, was deep. In time, it might heal. They were all family now. The young woman gazed at her baby daughter and at the amazing two people who had opened their hearts to her entire family. Over the months leading to saying goodbye to their little one, the children were confused and upset. The young woman knew she had to find a way to give her children peace and to assuage their grief. She’d read somewhere that ceremony is an important way to get past grief. She hoped this ceremony would help her children, especially. Their pain was the hardest to bear. She realized, with gratitude, that the ceremony had helped her. She could begin to move on now.
She did try at first for the fairytale ending complete with prince and castle. When she told him she was pregnant, he told her for the first time that he was married. His wife lived apart, on another continent. He lived with their sons and his parents. “I will not shame my family by divorce or by marrying an American,” he’d said.
She’d said nothing. She understood.
Her fairytale had a different ending. Instead of a prince, she found something even better - kindred spirits.” - Tizz O’Toole
This concludes the Blindsided series written by Tizz O’Toole. The Proprietress has used it as inspiration for the artwork you’ve seen in each installment. That artwork is available for purchase in the Buttons and Bows Boutique. We hope you not only enjoyed it but will consider submitting a story of your own as well. To do so, please DM Jena in Substack or send an email to JenaBall@CritterKin.com.
Got a Cadre of Your Own to Shop For?
Each of the three parts of the story has inspired artwork that is available as tees, prints, mugs, and journals. Click the images below to be taken to the Buttons and Bows Boutique.
To see the complete selection of art, please visit https://www.savage-voices.com/buttonsandbows. You can also go to the two previous posts in the series:
Copyright 2024 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.
This does not surprise me that this man was married. That he wanted to have her and his life. An age old story. But from lessons in forgiveness came a gift for a couple who wanted a baby. And to find a family willing to allow her and all the children to know and love one another, also a gift. ❤️
Love love love The book cover graphic Jena! Buying you a cup of coffee for that beauty!