A Brave Heart? It Feels Like A

All Women On Earth-- And Men, Too For That Matter-- Hope For The Kind Of Love That Transforms Us, Raises Us Up Out Of The Everyday, & Gives Us The Courage To Survive Our Little Deaths: The Heartache Of Unfulfilled Dreams, Of Career And Personal Disappointments, Of Broken Love Affairs.

When I Knew I Couldn't Suffer Another Moment Of Pain, And Tears Fell On My Bloody Bindings, My Mother Spoke Softly Into My Ear, Encouraging Me To Go One More Hour, One More Day, One More Week, Reminding Me Of The Rewards I Would Have If I Carried On A Little Longer. In This Way, She Taught Me How To Endure — Not Just The Physical Trials Of Footbinding And Childbearing But The More Torturous Pain Of The Heart, Mind, And Soul.

What Stays With Me Most Is A General Sense Of Loss, Unease, And Longing For The Past That Cannot Be Relieved.

Seeing Something Once Is Better Than Hearing About It A Hundred Times. Doing Something Once Is Better Than Seeing It A Hundred Times.

Our Words Had To Be Circumspect. We Could Not Write Anything Too Negative About Our Circumstances. This Was Tricky, Since The Very Form Of A Married Woman's Letter Needed To Include The Usual Complaints -- That We Were Pathetic, Powerless, Worked To The Bone, Homesick, And Sad. We Were Supposed To Speak Directly About Our Feelings Without Appearing Ungrateful, No-account, Or Unfilial.