Secrets Revealed

I just finished an amazing book called Mother Had a Secret. I recommend it to anyone. The eye opener for me was how the author, Tiffany Fletcher, exposed her true feelings on her ruling emotions of guilt, anger and hate. The true story of this woman growing up in an LDS home with a mother of multiple personalities will change your view on perfection, forgiveness, and Savior-like love. The kind of love that doesn't need a disclaimer on it. The kind of love that doesn't need to be earned or fought for. Tiffany is a remarkable woman with the kind of insight on life I wish I had. Here are some of my favorite quotes from her book. There are many more quotes, but I would have to basically re-post the entirety of her life's story. These are the quotes that impacted me, that I connected with through my own views of how most of us in Christian societies view ourselves and others.

"What would people think? That was the ultimate question; the question that kept us in our social lines of what was acceptable and right. Who would dare stray from the accepted norms when the neighbors were watching?"

"There was nothing I hated more about myself than the need to be perfect in the eyes of others. Although I often told myself that I didn’t care what they thought, the truth was that my life was ruled by how I thought others viewed me. Like a harsh slave master, propriety kept a watchful eye over me, as it did everyone. If I stepped out of line, it would crack its whip of ruthful public scorn and I would file back to my proper place and once again take up the labor of maintaining the community façade. "

"I believed that God gave everyone the option to choose to be or not to be who they were. Such an idea is easily accepted by many, but when we are confronted with those who fall outside of that perception we are faced with a dilemma: Do we blame them for being the way they are or do we accept the fact that sometimes things remain outside our control? "

"Lighthouses are unique. No two have the same stripes, and lenses are specifically cut for that lighthouse. A lens from a lighthouse in California would not fit one from Oregon or Virginia. They are each different with their own character and history. The number of cuts on the lens determines the ability for their light to pierce through the misty darkness, reaching ships farther from the shore. In like manner, the cuts we sustain through our trials, if accepted without complaint, allow us that ability to shine more brilliantly and reach the hearts of those around us who may be struggling."

Okay, basically all of chapter 15 also. "...your mother was your savior... A savior is anyone that takes up the cause of aiding another in ways that are far beyond the common. Jesus Christ was the Savior of mankind. He gave his life to save us from sin. Others are a savior to a lesser degree, saving us from other ills that we face in life...When someone is able to come along and make a stand against these things [the abuse that Tiffany's mother had experienced] it is a remarkable thing. Your mother stood against a lifetime of terrible things and, yes, she faltered, but she saved you from it."

"She chose to love where hatred would have been so much easier..."