I never knew how deep the feeling of loss can be, I never thought it possible for anyone to be stilled by loss to the point that they would live in a house on the verge of collapse just to hold on to the memory of what has already been lost, I never knew until I read this book.
Summary of the book: After loosing her husband, this mother of three seems to have lost the life in her too. She walks around the house bare foot, gazing into space like she is lost. She doesn’t clean the house, or cook or even bath….that’s how bad it is. The kids had to take over the responsibility of taking care of the house and themselves, they even had to make her take a bath. One day her daughter heard voices coming from the giant tree outside the house, and discovers that it is her father’s voice, she believed that her father is in the tree!! She tells her mother who then start climbing the tree every night, sometimes even sleepingunder the tree ‘ talking to her husband’ .The problem is that this tree is too old and too big it’s roots are starting to crack up the foundation of the house, the house is almost falling apart. The neighbours and relatives are all worried, they advise her to cut down the tree, but she refuses, she doesn’t want let go of the only thing that still connects her to her husband.’
When I started reading this book, this woman made me soo angry, I thought she was stupid, she was weak and that she was a bad mother. I mean how could she leave is a ‘falling’ house and put everyone’s life in danger because of a tree? But because of what I have been through, thank God I didn’t go bare feet and stopped bathing, but because of my experience with loss I came to understand her extreme way of dealing with grief. I came to realise that her pain was real, that she wasn’t dumb, and that she was just a woman trying her best to pick up the pieces of her life after she lost the love of her life. Her children suffered a dearly and that is sad, and they tried their best to help her but she want ready…she just couldn’t let go.
It took a tragedy, a storm that caused part on the house to collapse, for her to realise that her sentimentality to the tree was dangerous, fatal even. It always does take ‘something’ for one to see they are on the wrong path, almost like a wake up call or a sign from God, as if HE is saying, you better let go now, I have another plan for you!!
Summary of the book: After loosing her husband, this mother of three seems to have lost the life in her too. She walks around the house bare foot, gazing into space like she is lost. She doesn’t clean the house, or cook or even bath….that’s how bad it is. The kids had to take over the responsibility of taking care of the house and themselves, they even had to make her take a bath. One day her daughter heard voices coming from the giant tree outside the house, and discovers that it is her father’s voice, she believed that her father is in the tree!! She tells her mother who then start climbing the tree every night, sometimes even sleepingunder the tree ‘ talking to her husband’ .The problem is that this tree is too old and too big it’s roots are starting to crack up the foundation of the house, the house is almost falling apart. The neighbours and relatives are all worried, they advise her to cut down the tree, but she refuses, she doesn’t want let go of the only thing that still connects her to her husband.’
When I started reading this book, this woman made me soo angry, I thought she was stupid, she was weak and that she was a bad mother. I mean how could she leave is a ‘falling’ house and put everyone’s life in danger because of a tree? But because of what I have been through, thank God I didn’t go bare feet and stopped bathing, but because of my experience with loss I came to understand her extreme way of dealing with grief. I came to realise that her pain was real, that she wasn’t dumb, and that she was just a woman trying her best to pick up the pieces of her life after she lost the love of her life. Her children suffered a dearly and that is sad, and they tried their best to help her but she want ready…she just couldn’t let go.
It took a tragedy, a storm that caused part on the house to collapse, for her to realise that her sentimentality to the tree was dangerous, fatal even. It always does take ‘something’ for one to see they are on the wrong path, almost like a wake up call or a sign from God, as if HE is saying, you better let go now, I have another plan for you!!
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