In life, we often believe we are nurturing a beautiful garden, unaware that the protective gloves we wear shield us from painful realities. For me, those gloves represented my brother, competitive and favoured by our mother. My younger siblings, whom I once believed to be the tender flowers of our family, turned out to be the thorns, pricking and hurting my brother in ways I could not see.
In my quest for peace, I often defended my younger siblings, thinking they were wronged and misunderstood. My brother and I frequently ended up in conflict, driven by my attempts to protect those I thought were innocent. I believed I was fostering harmony and love, but I was blind to the pain my siblings were causing him.
Three years ago, when my brother passed away from COVID, the protective gloves were torn away. Without him, I was left exposed, my hands now vulnerable to the very thorns I had once nurtured. The pain of losing him was compounded by the realisation that those same thorns had turned on me, making me their new target. Now, their disrespect is directed towards me just as it once was towards him, revealing the true nature of their jealousy and animosity.
This painful clarity brought with it a deeper understanding of my family’s dynamics. The thorns that once pricked my brother now cut deeply into me, a constant reminder of the truth I must face alone. In my mother’s eyes, my younger siblings have become the new recipients of her affection, leaving me striving for peace without favouritism, just as I did before.
This experience, though difficult, has taught me the importance of discernment and the need to see beyond illusions. The gloves, while protective, had dulled my senses, preventing me from recognising the true nature of what I was nurturing.
Life’s thorns, through their painful lessons, have shown me the value of clarity and truth. They remind me of the complexities of family ties and the understanding that comes from enduring challenges. In the absence of my brother, I now walk through this garden with newfound awareness, cherishing the true flowers and guarding against the hidden thorns.
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