"Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'
'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.
'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'
― Margery Williams Bianco, The Velveteen Rabbit
I used to love this passage in the Velveteen Rabbit. As a child I thought objects, especially plush toys, were real. It was our job to make them happy, and in return, they watched over us. Those who had love in their hearts would always be protected. They would never be alone. You can imagine how this passage reinforced that ideal. Now, this passage means so much more and not in a happy way. I read it now as we become real, like the velveteen rabbit, when a child loves us, most notably our own. For those of us who lost our little one and never had the chance to hear the words 'I love you, daddy' or to feel their precious arms around our neck, it leaves us to wonder if we can ever be real. We are left pretending that we are a real person and not just an empty husk destined to blow away in the wind to be consumed in the fire.
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Broken Promises
Kurgu OlmayanBroken Promises is the story of Shari Lynn and her all-too short life. When her heart stopped in the womb due to a physician's error, it caused serious, lifelong medical issues. During her delivery her father felt that something was wrong but ignore...
