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Meggie, M’Lynn, Florida, and Me

As I did my best to navigate through yet another day feeling some-kinda-way, I thought of strong characters, I thought of women and I thought of our relationships with God. Eve did us in ladies, and the sooner we accept this the better we will be.

Enter my first character Megan “Meggie” Cleary. Meggie is a favorite character from the novel, “The Thornbirds”.  Meggie is the pretty, lone daughter in a family of strapping boys living on a well-to-do aunt’s station in Australia. Her life’s significance is summed up by her mother, Fiona,” What is a daughter but someone to make the same mistakes you already made”. Wow..But was her mother right(read the book to see the similarities). Meggie lived out her mother’s life without ever really knowing her story. Ultimately, Meggie fell in love with and seduced a Holy Man..a Cardinal. She went on to give birth to his son, unbeknownst to him, and settle into being happy with her chosen life.  Never truly having the man she loved, but having a love relationship of sorts, having their son who was proof of such an intense beautiful love, that gave her a sense of being contented.

M’Lynn Eatenton lived a bit of a charmed life. Settled into ultimate suburbia; small town life in Louisiana. Married, children, comfortable. Her only snag was her diabetic daughter, but with this strong stable mother in her life her Shelby was virtually unaffected. Until Shelby fell in love, married, and was advised NOT to have children. She of course did and while she gave M’Lynn a beautiful healthy grandson, Shelby’s health suffered.

Finally, we have Florida Evans the struggling matriarch of a 1970’s Chicago family. With a husband who is a constant victim of the economy and three children to raise in a housing project, Florida utilizes her common sense, street smarts, and faith in the Lord to keep her family together. The shows ratings keep the family on air for years but the family’s bad-luck streak seems unending. Finally, life is looking up for this hardworking do-on-their-luck but ever faithful family. Husband James gets a job “down south”. So-long Chicago.

Many a Christian will tell you God loves us all. Well God may love us all, but he is also pretty angry with all us girls. I am not being funny, because I do not have a lot to laugh about right now. While the three characters I mentioned are fictional , there is a degree of relate-able realism attached to each of them for me. Perhaps you can relate as well. No good deed goes unpunished was what we “jokingly” said of the Postal Service. I submit do we as the “descendants of Eve ever get a full pass for what  she did. The ultimate betrayal, the deed that DAMNED mankind and additionally cursed women, but where is the forgiveness

Here is the end game. Meggie loses her beloved son to the priesthood by his choice, and to life by divine intervention? While saving someone he drowns. Meggie defied God by taking that which was not available to her..a Holy man. Meggie said God was greedy. M’Lynn gives her precious daughter one of her kidneys to make her life better after Shelby’s give out but she falls into a diabetic coma and is eventually taken off life support. M’Lynn questioned God telling Annelle she’d rather have her daughter here on Earth with her. Florida in the midst of a farewell party receives a telegram that bluntly tells of her dear husbands death in an auto accident. In the midst of brief favor as well as it’s shadow, Florida cursed God..”DamnDamnDamn”.

I am overcome with grief. I am searching for answers.  I say in my quest, then there is me. I have always been aware of my short comings, my bad behavior, and I was willing to take the responsibility for these things. Just as the characters I spoke of, I know what I have done, I know how I feel, and now I must find a way to live with it. For I  too mistakenly thought I had served my  penance.