Shine decides “she would make a family like she and her daddy had made moonshine, putting together a bunch of unlikely ingredients, things that didn’t come from the same place, or naturally go together. Stir it all up and see what happened. Test it. Taste it. And then crank up the heat. Because that was life, wasn’t it? The fire that you couldn’t always control. But what you made of it, what you did with it … that could be something special. Something you could see through—stunningly clear and shining and powerful. The Strong stuff.” This metaphor for the complicated ways in which families are created, tested and constantly changed seems appropriate for most of our families. Do you agree?
I had marked this section, because I wanted to come back to it. I do think the best relationships (family, partners, friends) are the ones that have been tested and experienced struggles. You learn and appreciate the person even more. It also allows for people to grow and change. I had never thought about families this way, so I appreciated the description.
1 Like
I agree 100% with this metaphor and have re-read this passage several times. The ephemeral nature of life itself means that familial relationships are an integral part of our uncertain and ever-changing world. This thought-provoking metaphor reminded me of a quote from a poem by the Persian poet Rumi entitled The Guest House, in which he asserts that being human is a guest house where we need to welcome and entertain all the new arrivals, however unexpected. “ Be grateful for whatever comes - even if they are a crowd of sorrows- because each has been sent as a GUIDE from beyond.” This is how the Strong family lived their lives and and created something truly special and unique.
3 Likes
I too came back to this paragraph and really appreciated the metaphor. I particularly liked the way it encouraged the combination of unlikely or unusual additions to a stable basic mixture – the biological family in to braoden and evole its impact. corporating new outside people and influences
1 Like
I think the metaphor works. Families are a “mish mash” of personalities, desires, gifts, and outlooks=anything can happen.
1 Like
It is true! Sometimes the most beautiful things are combinations of things that aren’t likely pairings.
I love that metaphor! True families are not always related, but often brought together by circumstances and experiences. Although scattered now, the women who were my buddies when we were all raising children have become my lifelong friends.
Unlikely pairings, for sure! Thinking about biological family vs. family of choice makes this even more interesting. Turning up the heat could be a refining, or a disaster.
This was a well written description of families – not necessarily families created by blood but more importantly friends that become families. You have to mix in all types and face the problems that life brings to truly have something special
It is an apt metaphor. Blood doesn’t make a family–think about Lidy’s relationship with Shine and Shine’s relationship with Birdie & then Wren. Tough times bring together disparate people and sometimes those not related to each other end up succeeding far better than blood relatives. Families can be made in a variety of ways, just like moonshine and virtually any dish you put on a table. It’s not always easy to get the right mix but when you do, it’s delicious.
I think it’s a great metaphor. Shaking things up keeps things interesting and forces others to face difficult situations with a new perspective.
I agree with this metaphor completely! Some of the most unlikely people get together and make a “family”… your chosen family is sometimes the best!
The previous remarks are insightful. The family we’re “dished” isn’t always the family we relish. Yet, over time these kin relationships can become the dearest.
I thought it was a great metaphor, very apt. Especially given Shine’s life experiences.
I love the metaphor. Doesn’t it reflect our lives today. We experience change on many levels. How we handle that change is important. If “you roll with the punches” in a positive way, I say you are mentally healthy.