In Search of Our Mother's Garden

In Alice Walker's inspirational essay, "In Search of our Mother's Garden," she discusses the creativity and strength that black women were able to persevere throughout the years of oppression and slavery. The strength in these women could be best described in a quote from Alice Walker's essay when she speaks of her mother; "whatever rocky soil she landed on she turned into a garden". This quote resinates throughout her essay in a metaphorical and literal sense. She describes black women throughout history and the talents that they possessed but rarely were able to expose. She also speaks of her mother and the trials and tribulations that she went through but still being able to find peace and beauty in life. "Whatever rocky soil she landed on she turned into a garden" is a motivational quote that inspires me to make the best out of the obstacles that I have encountered. Alice Walker's mother was able to turn rocky soil into beautiful gardens. This means that she kept a positive outlook even in the worse situations. Reading this essay couldn't have came at a more perfect time in my life. While writing this essay, I am sitting in my room with no cable or no internet because my family and I were unable to keep up with those bills after paying for our mortgage. I grew up in a family that always had money, took vacations, and ate at the best restaurants. After 9/11, our world came crashing down on us. My father works for United Airlines, and after 9/11, employees of United Airlines took huge pay and pension cuts. In the interim my older sister had three children and the father of her children was unable to find a stable job to support him and his family resulting in my father taking care of myself, her family and my mother. With the burden place upon my father I felt it was my responsibility to step it up and help the family out. I got a job at the age of fourteen while attending school and while doing all of this i began to grow resentment towards my sister. If I was able to hear Alice Walker's quote then, I may have had a better outlook on the situation. Walker's mother was able to keep her family together while she worked, cleaned and cooked for her entire family. She was even able to grow and maintain a beautiful garden. This saddens me because during the pitfall of my father, he began to loose my mother. After reading this essay, I feel like my mother and even myself took many things for granted. Even now, at the age of sixty-four, my father has to work double shifts so that I am able to go to school, make ends meet and put food on the table. My father is a good man, and even though he feels like he hit "rock" bottom, the love he has for us grew just like Walker's mother's garden. He is still able to provide us Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas presents for his grand children. My nephews don't even realize that our family doesn't have a lot of money, in their eyes we are rich.