Sharing the Journey

Our second entry on chapters 18 and 19 was written by Mandy. Enjoy.

As I started reading The Faith Club, I was a little apprehensive. I did not know if the book would be preaching about how good religion can be in one’s life. As I finished the book my opinion had totally changed about others’ religion. I will be the first to admit that I am not secure in my faith; it actually make me feel very uncomfortable to talk about it. But as I finished the book, I feel that I need to embrace other faiths to become more secure in my own. While reading The Faith Club, I was very impressed with how these ladies openly discussed how they had trouble within their own faith. They often wondered if their faith was strong enough. When Pricilla discussed her faith at the beginning of chapter 18, I felt an immediate connection to her experience.

At the beginning of chapter 18, Priscilla discusses going to visit her mother, but gets into a situation where she is not comfortable. Her mother was getting older and her memory was fading fast. Priscilla had a very hard time seeing her mother disorientated. Priscilla questioned her faith, hoping it was strong enough to get her through this situation, and help her stay strong. As I was reading these two chapters I found myself connecting with Priscilla’s experience. Just two years ago, my family watched my grandmother lose her memory right in front of our eyes. When my grandmother first started forgetting things I did not think it was anything to worry about. As she got older things got a lot worse. At a young age, my grandmother forgot who I was, and would often ask me “Where is Mandy?” I would literally be sitting across the table from her when this happened. I had a very hard time dealing with this and often could not control my emotions. My mother also had a hard time seeing her mother’s memory fade. As my grandma became more disoriented, being around her was very hard. She rarely remembered anything from her past and often questioned where she was. My mother finally had to place her, along with my grandpa, in an assisted living community because it was not safe for my grandmother to live in her home anymore. When my grandma passed, she had no idea who she was or who any of my family members were.

I often wonder: If my faith was stronger, would I have handled this situation differently? I have never been a person of faith, but I have always believed in god. I hope to learn more about my faith and learn about other religions. After reading Priscilla’s experience and seeing how her faith helped her get through the difficult time, I was inspired to find my faith. As I read chapter 19, “From Here to Eternity,” the ladies discussed how their faith club has changed them into being more secure in their faiths and more accepting of others’ beliefs. I can say that after reading this book I am enlightened to do the same. Most faiths believe in one thing, god or something that is equivalent to someone like god. I believe it is important to embrace diversity, and I think that The Faith Club has helped me in my beliefs.