M is for rejected Mother.
The Keeper and the Egg
Once upon a time, there was a priceless emerald egg…very much prized by its Keeper.
One day, a Taker came along, and stole the Egg, and mangled it beyond repair. The Keeper of the Egg was distraught, and tried to find a way to prevent this from happening again. The Keeper knew that the Taker would try again, and was in a world of fear and anguish, because she only wanted to protect her precious egg.
Over time, the Egg began to get restless, and resented the protection of the Keeper. The Egg even went so far as to go against the laws of the Creator. The Egg’s hatred and resentment of the Keeper grew the more time went by. The Keeper was heartbroken, grieved more than she had ever been grieved in a whole lifetime. The more the Keeper held on, the more the Egg fought to break the grip that was meant only as protection from the Taker. The more the Egg fought to break free, the more the Keeper feared that the Taker would win, and the tighter she held to the prized emerald Egg.
One day, the Keeper turned around, and the Egg was not where it had been left for safekeeping. In a panic, the Keeper searched everywhere, to no avail. Then she spied it…a note, and it was signed by the Egg. The Keeper was excited, and hurriedly read the note written by the beloved Egg. The happy smile of the Keeper quickly faded into a pool of tears.
The note from the Egg spewed hate and loathing against the Keeper, and happiness at finally escaping the Castle. The Keeper was so confused. She had protected the Egg from the Taker, and had given completely heart and soul to the care of the Egg, even to the point of great sacrifice of the Keeper.
The Keeper was split…a divided soul, extremes a world apart but closely connected. One half of the Keeper was sad to the point of wondering why she was even alive, because even her prizes didn’t love her. One half was filled with resentment because of a life seemingly wasted because she had loved the Egg so much. In utter despair, the Keeper saw to it that no one could hurt her heart in this way again. Gifts were unwanted…there would be no gifts to give, and she would not be around to give them. The Keeper went to find comfort in the arms of the Creator, the Creator that was also scorned by the Egg.
The Egg was away for many years, taking for granted that the Keeper would be there when it was convenient for him to come for a visit. Many things had changed the heart of the Egg. All alone, the Taker had found the Egg, and he was badly mangled once again. The Egg stared in shock and disbelief to find that the Castle had been abandoned. “Where is the Keeper? But the Keeper said she would always be here for me. How could she abandon me?” and many such thoughts ran through the Egg’s mind.
The Egg, after some time passed, saw a faded letter on the floor…a tattered yellow piece of paper, stained by water and the passage of time. He picked up the letter, and sat down and cried. The Egg could not believe that a letter so cruel could have ever been written to the Keeper. To make matters worse, the water stains were in the shape of a shattered heart, and the Egg realized these stains were not of water, but of tears…many tears cried over time by the Keeper as she grieved for him.
The Egg hurried through the Castle, searching once again for the Keeper. Not finding anyone in the Castle, he went to search the grounds. What the Egg found would stay with him for the rest of his life. For over in the meadow, just barely peeking over the clover and thistle, was a marker that read:
“The Keeper was once here, but now rests in the arms of the Creator, a broken heart now healed.”
At that moment, a delicate butterfly landed on the hand of the Egg as he reached for an aged rose lying on the Keeper’s marker. On the wings of the butterfly, spelled out in the pattern designed by the Creator, was this message:
“I will love you forever….the Keeper.”
Written by Suzanne McClendon © 26 March 2003
Wow, what passion. What a sad story. I love you. ZIng! Zing!
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Thank you. I love you, too, my Zing.
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This is such a beautiful, yet sad story. ❤
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Thank you, Barbara. ❤
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Wow! Just wow! I could feel the emotion in each line. So sad, yet beautifully written. A master piece!!
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Thank you. I appreciate that very much. It was written during a very difficult time in my life and it seems I am in that spot again. Thank you so much for your kind comments. I don’t think any of my writing has ever been called a masterpiece before. That is very nice of you.
Have a blessed Easter!
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You’re welcome. Have a lovely easter💟
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💟
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That was sad,but excellent.
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Thank you, Ellen. I appreciate that very much. Have a blessed Easter and a beautiful day.
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ohh so sad yet its so beautiful
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Thank you, Tina. Though I wrote it 14 years ago, it has so much bearing on my life right now.
Have a blessed Easter and a wonderful day.
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What a beautiful story. Well done. I think every parent can identify with this.
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Thank you, Susanne. I appreciate your comment very much. I think that you are correct. All parents can relate to this struggle.
If only everything could go perfectly between parent and child always. But, there is no perfect life. Bad things come along to shake up families. We all make mistakes and hopefully learn from them.
Have a blessed Easter. 🙂
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What a sad but wonderful story, with a lesson for all. When my children were small, someone told me to protect them the first ten years of their life, and teach them to be free the next ten years. I think it is a lesson the Keeper should have learned.
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Thank you. I appreciate your comments.
Perhaps, but there is a lot untold in this story, things that don’t come under typical, every day family life. We can’t really judge the Keeper for being protective or the Egg for wanting to be free. It was what it was, as they say and she did what she had to do. It was an unfortunate situation all around and everyone paid the price for it.
Have a blessed and happy Easter. 🙂
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That was amazing. I am trying so hard not to cry, there was so much emotion in this piece. Just beautiful, sweetheart, and I’m so sorry for whatever the true events were that inspired it. Being a Keeper is hard. hugs ❤
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{{{Hugs}}} Thank you for your sweet, caring, and understanding response, Vanessa. I appreciate that very much.
Yes, it is very hard. What else is a mother to do with so much bad being out there in the world? There is such a fine line between doing our job of protecting and holding on so tightly that it smothers their growth. Sometimes bad things come along and blur that line and everyone suffers because of it.
Thanks again, my sweet friend. Have a beautiful, blessed day. ❤
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Keeping you in my prayers dear! Blessings on you! hugs ❤
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Thank you, Vanessa. You’re in my prayers, too. Hugs ❤
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