Faith is the Key to Happiness

          Everyone has a time in their lives that devastation occurs. Sometimes ones' are worse than others but those who choose to write about their struggles in life express their feelings throughout their tragic adventure. The memoir A Stolen Life written by Jaycee Lee Dugard is a book where Jaycee was kidnapped at the age of eleven and was held captive for eighteen years, giving birth to two children. “We live in a world where we rarely speak out and when someone does, often nobody is there to listen"(Dugard). People who go through such mortifying events in their lives tend to carry faith and hope that they will get saved and believe that there is always going to be a positive outcome after the disastrous is over. This important quote really strikes me because if one just has faith in themselves it will have a better outcome than one who is hopeless. Another example in this horrific story is the strength that Jaycee had develop through her captivity. Some women in this world couldn't have gone through what she had gone through. Jaycee had to grow mental toughness and especially hope through this all because without those strategies she would have lost it and eventually would kill herself. As shown in the presentation a major symbol that remained throughout the book was a pinecone Jaycee had grabbed right before the kidnapper grabbed her. The pinecone to her reminds her that she is free because that was the last free thing she got ahold of before the torture begun. Today and days ahead Jaycee collects pinecones and represents a sign that she is a free woman.  

          Another book that really stood out to me was Two Kisses for Maddy written by Matthew Logelin. It all starts with a couple who gets pregnant and after giving birth to a beautiful baby girl, Matthew's wife, Liz, dies. Matthew struggles raising his daughter without having his wife around to help. "One kiss from me, and one from your mother. One for what could have been, and one for what will be"(Logelin). The quote and the title of the book itself relates to each other very well. As Matthew kisses to fingers and touches them  to Maddy's forehead it tells her that her mom, Liz is spiritually with her wherever she goes. From those two kisses Maddy should have gained hope everyday that her mother is not physically  but emotionally and mentally by her side whether it's joy or hardships occurring. Although some hardships seem a lifetime, the ending will overtake all the evil and bring out faith and happiness. A big theme in this book would probably be love and loss. Loss was and still is present in Maddy's life because of her mother dying and how every daughter needs a mother to set an example for, a mother that will be there for her daughter in times of trouble, to be a lifelong best friend, and even a person to turn to and talk to when they need to talk. It's safe to say that mothers are the ones that bring the family together. Love is the key to living an enjoyable life. Although Maddy never met her mother, never talked to her, she knows that she is loved and she loves her mother because of what she did for her.