Blooming Through the Cracks: Inspiring Stories of Resilience (eBook)

Sandra Damiani (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
184 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-5546-0 (ISBN)

Infos

Life throws curveballs, leaving us feeling fractured and lost. But within these cracks lies the potential for extraordinary growth. 'Blooming Through the Cracks' is a collection of relatable and uplifting stories, each taking you on a journey with a unique individual from a different walk of life. The book delves into their emotional development, showcasing that true resilience is not just about facing your inner demons but also about emerging stronger after overcoming them.

Sandra Damiani spends her time at the intersection of writing and advocating for children in the juvenile court system. Sandra's foremost reason for writing is to use the protagonists' experiences in her stories to help her readers understand and empathize with others. She believes that when people contemplate other people's perspectives and accept that their experiences are not the only lived experiences, they move closer to understanding that we are all in this together. And isn't that what we need more of in this world? Understanding, empathy, and connection?

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Life throws curveballs, leaving us feeling fractured and lost. But within these cracks lies the potential for extraordinary growth. "e;Blooming Through the Cracks"e; is a collection of relatable and uplifting stories, each taking you on a journey with a unique individual from a different walk of life. The book delves into their emotional development, showcasing that true resilience is not just about facing your inner demons but also about emerging stronger after overcoming them. Explore the emotional journeys of individuals facing:Anxiety and depressionThe challenges of attachment and traumaThe weight of bias and societal pressuresThe struggles of self-esteem, self-discovery, and self-worthEmbrace individuals overcoming their challenges by:Recognizing how their background influenced themTrusting their intentionsTrusting others who have shown they truly care (Sarah, Logan, Lily, Cecelia)Respecting their journeyAcknowledging their effort

Textauszug

Shattered Boundaries

The air crackled with anticipation as the senior class stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the sun-drenched sidewalk. The vibrant colors of their caps and gowns stood out against the stark brick facade of the school. Voices rose and fell in animated conversation about late-night study sessions, shared dreams, and inside jokes.

Ms. Johnson, the twelfth-grade science teacher, emerged from the school’s side entrance. She walked toward the students, but they were so engrossed in their shared memories and excitement that they didn’t notice her approaching.

Ms. Johnson cleared her throat. “Students,” she said.

The students turned to look at her.

“I need to remind you of the rules,” Ms. Johnson said. “First, please maintain your composure until the last person has received their diploma.”

Ms. Johnson paused to make sure that the students were listening.

Then, after she went over a few more rules, she said, “Please walk slowly into the auditorium and take your seats.”

As the graduates entered the hall, the hushed whispers gave way to a thunderous eruption of applause. Gerald and Jolene walked with their heads held high, a mix of emotions playing across their faces – relief, accomplishment, and a touch of bittersweet anticipation for the future.

Inspirational student speeches started the ceremony. Their names were called as they walked across the stage. The principal was the final speaker at the podium. He congratulated everyone and told them that they were free to go.

Out of everything said that day, the word free meant the most to Gerald. Finally, he was free to leave his parents’ house. Gerald hated it when he had to listen to the jarring thud of his father’s fists hitting his mother. He’d bury himself under the scratchy covers in his bed, pulling them up over his head, and then he would squeeze his eyes shut, willing himself to fall asleep, but the choked sobs that escaped his mother’s lips were like icy fingers crawling down his spine.

Jolene couldn’t wait to get out of her parents’ house either. She had called her stepmother Mom since she was three years old but had never found it in her heart to like her. Her mother died when she was young, and her father remarried shortly after that. Jolene›s dad and stepmother had two children together, Joey and Mary. 

One afternoon, when Jolene was eight years old, she was watching cartoons in the living room when she spotted Mary’s doll on the coffee table. Jolene was attracted to the doll’s long, flowing hair and big blue eyes, so she picked the doll up and pretended to feed her some cake.

As Jolene’s stepmother walked past the living room, she noticed Jolene playing with Mary’s doll.

“Jolene, what are you doing with Mary’s doll?” she asked.

Jolene froze. She knew she was in trouble. “I was just holding it,” she said.

Jolene’s stepmother walked over to where Jolene was playing and snatched the doll out of her hand. After tucking the doll under her arm, she warned Jolene to ask permission before she touched Joey’s or Mary’s toys.

Jolene was confused. She didn’t understand why her stepmother was so quick to punish her for playing with Mary’s doll when Joey had come into her bedroom and broken her tea set the day before, but he didn’t get in trouble.

Jolene would ask her stepmother, “Why do you treat them like they are so special?’

Her stepmother’s reaction was: “Don’t you dare question me. Do as you are told, or you’ll regret it.”

Jolene would ask her father: “Why does Mom let them get away with everything?”

Her father would answer: “You need to listen to your mother. You are the oldest, so of course, more is expected of you.”

Gerald and Jolene started dating in the tenth grade. They could talk to each other about anything and knew how much the other one wanted to escape their bad situations at home. In the twelfth grade, they decided to get married after they graduated and swore to be nothing like their parents.

One year after Gerald and Jolene were married, they had their first child. It was a boy, and they named him Nathan. Gerald and Jolene were determined to be better parents to Nathan than their parents had been to them. A year later, Nathan had a sister. Two years after that, Nathan had a brother.

Gerald and Jolene were twenty-two years old and had three young children. Gerald worked as an appliance salesman, and Jolene was a stay-at-home mom. Jolene was exhausted from caring for the children all day and night, and Gerald was feeling the strain of making ends meet.

Gerald’s appliance store shared a video on social media showcasing a dishwasher’s ability to clean a pan half-filled with lasagna. After the video went viral, customers flocked to the store to learn more about the dishwasher’s specifications and features.

One housewife came into the store three times to inquire about the dishwasher. She kept asking Gerald to reassure her that the video was accurate.

Was the pan in the commercial nonstick?

Was the dishwasher soap used in the video different from what she could buy in the store?

When the customer showed up for the third day in a row, Gerald decided she was wasting his time. She was spending too much time overthinking a dishwasher to ever buy it.

So when she asked if the dishwasher would clean a pan if she burned the lasagna, Gerald asked the customer if she routinely burned things she cooked. His remark made the customer so upset that she started crying. When Gerald’s boss saw the customer crying, he fired Gerald on the spot. Gerald grabbed his keys and stormed out of the store.

As Gerald parked the car in the driveway, the crunch of gravel under the tires echoed in the still air. Hearing the familiar sound, Jolene came out the front door just as Gerald stepped out of the car.

Jolene walked towards Gerald, saying, “I need you to get some more diapers. I only have one left.”

Gerald walked past Jolene, ignoring her, and went inside the house.

Jolene followed him. “Did you hear me?”

Gerald continued to ignore her.

Jolene yelled. “Are you deaf?”

Suddenly, a loud crack echoed as Jolene’s neck jerked to the side. She was knocked off balance and scrambled to stand up straight. The crisp sting of pain was overshadowed by the sudden and shocking realization that Gerald had just crossed a line she never thought he would. Gerald had slapped her across the face.

Gerald felt a wave of guilt wash over him as he looked at Jolene, her eyes filled with tears. He had always promised himself that he would never be like his father, that he would never hit his wife.

“I’m so sorry,” Gerald said. “I don’t know what came over me.”

Gerald’s slap shattered Jolene’s self-esteem, self-respect, and dignity— everything that made her feel good about herself. Jolene was torn between two choices: to swallow her pride and forgive her husband, keeping the picture of a happy family intact, or let her anger show and risk worsening the situation or losing her marriage. In the end, she chose to forgive Gerald but worried that he might repeat his abusive behavior in the future.

Later that night, Gerald told Jolene he had been fired from the appliance store. Jolene was surprised that he didn’t seem the least bit upset. Instead, he was relieved about not having to listen to customers complaining.

When Gerald woke up the next day, he was determined to find a new job. He spent the morning searching the computer for job openings that matched his skills and experience. After a few days of searching, he began receiving calls from companies interested in hiring him.

Gerald’s enthusiasm and excitement each time he went for a job interview caused Jolene to reflect on how boring her life had become. She loved her children but was tired of being cooped up in the house all day. Jolene decided that she wanted to go to work.

Jolene worked as a cashier in a local department store during high school. With her previous experience, she decided to apply for a retail job. After she got hired, Jolene couldn’t believe how much of her hard-earned money was going towards daycare.

Once all the children were in school, Jolene relied on Nathan to walk his siblings to and from school and take care of them while she was at work. After Nathan took on the responsibility of looking after his younger siblings, Gerald and Jolene were finally able to start saving money for a down payment on a house. They worked hard and saved money for two years, and finally, they were able to buy a fixer-upper in the suburbs.

After three months of owning their new home, the initial excitement faded as reality set in. When they received a five-figure estimate for a cracked heat exchanger, Gerald panicked due to their already tight budget, and Jolene felt like their dream home had turned into a financial nightmare. To cover the cost, Gerald got a second job, but the leaky roof, a sudden gurgle in the kitchen sink, and their...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 20.9.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Gesundheit / Leben / Psychologie ► Lebenshilfe / Lebensführung
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-5546-0 / 9798350955460