Week 12 Story: Unconditional
There is an updated version of this story in my Portfolio!
As long as I can remember, Jesus has had a strong place in my home. My dad is a pastor, so we spend every Sunday at church, as well as small groups on Wednesday's, and every holiday and countless weddings - the church is our second home.
My first memory is going to my aunt and uncle's wedding when I was four years old. I didn't really understand what was going on, and when I asked my dad about it, he told me that my Aunt Julie was getting a husband. She looked so pretty and she was so happy, so I told my dad that I wanted one too. He laughed and told me that I was way too young, but the next day he gave me a rag doll of Jesus and told me:
"Aunt Julie is married to Uncle Bill now. They love each other very much, but you have people that love you too. Jesus loves you unconditionally."
I was overwhelmed with joy. I took that doll everywhere I went for years. I would dress him up, reenact the Last Supper and Easter, and sing songs to him. It began with ones I already knew from church and school. I would roam around the house singing "Jesus loves me yes I know, for the bible tells me so.." for hours on end. But the more I sang the more creative I became, and started changing the lyrics and melodies to my own.
One day, when I was about eight years old, my dad overheard one of the songs I wrote for my Jesus doll, and asked me to sing it in the choir at church the next Sunday. So that week, I taught it to the children's choir and we all sang it during mass. It was a huge success, so I continued to write songs for the church. As I got older, I became more involved with the church and became a devout Christian just like my dad. My favorite part was singing (my songs!!!) for everyone during mass every week. My faith in God was growing like crazy and couldn't ever imagine putting anyone before him.
When I turned 18, I went on my first mission trip out of the country. Our church decided to plan a youth trip to Peru, and something inside me told me that I needed to go. I raised money for months, and when it came time to officially leave, I could hardly believe it. That mission trip was unbelievable for countless reasons, but one of the most important being that I met Matt.
Matt went to our church, but lived in a different town so I didn't get the chance to get to know him until we went to Peru. We became best friends instantly- I even told him about my obsession with my Jesus doll when I was little and writing songs for him; but instead of laughing, he admired me for it. His love for Jesus was just as strong as mine, so we talked for hours, about everything.
Four years later Matt asked my dad if he could marry me. My dad, of course, said yes. But his one condition was to help each other grow in faith. My dad says he will never forget Matt's response:
"She puts Jesus before me, which makes our relationship so strong. She swears she has loved Jesus 'unconditionally' since you gave her the Jesus doll the day of her aunt and uncle's wedding. I have no doubt that she makes me a better man and a better Christian."
(My dad says he has never been more proud of me, but I think he's proud of himself too.)
Author's Note:
I took this story almost exactly from "Mirâs Bridesgroom" in Indian Fables and Folklore. However, I wanted to make it into a more modern version, so I changed it to Christianity because I am most familiar with it, and I changed the ending a little bit to make it more realistic for the setting. In the original story, a King is a devout worshipper of Krishna. At a wedding one day his daughter asks about a wedding, and he told her it was a dulâh (bridesgroom). She says she wants one too, so he gets her a small marble Krishna, and she obsesses over it for years, also composing hymns about her love for Krishna. When she gets old enough her dad wants her to marry a prince but when he comes to meet them he tells the king that his daughter is already married. Mirâ agrees and says that she will not have mortal love because she loves Krishna.
Bibliography:
Devi Shovona, "Indian Fables and Folklore"
As long as I can remember, Jesus has had a strong place in my home. My dad is a pastor, so we spend every Sunday at church, as well as small groups on Wednesday's, and every holiday and countless weddings - the church is our second home.
My first memory is going to my aunt and uncle's wedding when I was four years old. I didn't really understand what was going on, and when I asked my dad about it, he told me that my Aunt Julie was getting a husband. She looked so pretty and she was so happy, so I told my dad that I wanted one too. He laughed and told me that I was way too young, but the next day he gave me a rag doll of Jesus and told me:
"Aunt Julie is married to Uncle Bill now. They love each other very much, but you have people that love you too. Jesus loves you unconditionally."
I was overwhelmed with joy. I took that doll everywhere I went for years. I would dress him up, reenact the Last Supper and Easter, and sing songs to him. It began with ones I already knew from church and school. I would roam around the house singing "Jesus loves me yes I know, for the bible tells me so.." for hours on end. But the more I sang the more creative I became, and started changing the lyrics and melodies to my own.
One day, when I was about eight years old, my dad overheard one of the songs I wrote for my Jesus doll, and asked me to sing it in the choir at church the next Sunday. So that week, I taught it to the children's choir and we all sang it during mass. It was a huge success, so I continued to write songs for the church. As I got older, I became more involved with the church and became a devout Christian just like my dad. My favorite part was singing (my songs!!!) for everyone during mass every week. My faith in God was growing like crazy and couldn't ever imagine putting anyone before him.
When I turned 18, I went on my first mission trip out of the country. Our church decided to plan a youth trip to Peru, and something inside me told me that I needed to go. I raised money for months, and when it came time to officially leave, I could hardly believe it. That mission trip was unbelievable for countless reasons, but one of the most important being that I met Matt.
Matt went to our church, but lived in a different town so I didn't get the chance to get to know him until we went to Peru. We became best friends instantly- I even told him about my obsession with my Jesus doll when I was little and writing songs for him; but instead of laughing, he admired me for it. His love for Jesus was just as strong as mine, so we talked for hours, about everything.
Four years later Matt asked my dad if he could marry me. My dad, of course, said yes. But his one condition was to help each other grow in faith. My dad says he will never forget Matt's response:
"She puts Jesus before me, which makes our relationship so strong. She swears she has loved Jesus 'unconditionally' since you gave her the Jesus doll the day of her aunt and uncle's wedding. I have no doubt that she makes me a better man and a better Christian."
(My dad says he has never been more proud of me, but I think he's proud of himself too.)
Author's Note:
I took this story almost exactly from "Mirâs Bridesgroom" in Indian Fables and Folklore. However, I wanted to make it into a more modern version, so I changed it to Christianity because I am most familiar with it, and I changed the ending a little bit to make it more realistic for the setting. In the original story, a King is a devout worshipper of Krishna. At a wedding one day his daughter asks about a wedding, and he told her it was a dulâh (bridesgroom). She says she wants one too, so he gets her a small marble Krishna, and she obsesses over it for years, also composing hymns about her love for Krishna. When she gets old enough her dad wants her to marry a prince but when he comes to meet them he tells the king that his daughter is already married. Mirâ agrees and says that she will not have mortal love because she loves Krishna.
Bibliography:
Devi Shovona, "Indian Fables and Folklore"
Congratulations, on writing a story that makes feels rather genuine. I'm not sure why but I definitely believe that the protagonist loves Jesus, although I'm not sure why. You'd be surprised how rare that is. Good job, so proud, do the impossible.
ReplyDeleteOn an objective level, your story is better than most things that I could write, so good job, go write more. So proud, do the world some good.
Hi again Hannah! I love what you did with this story. It felt so believable, my sleep-deprived mind actually believed it for a second before I remembered this was a story. I grew up with a family that was almost as religious as the ones in this story - my parents even gave me a stuffed bear that would sing little christian lullabies if you squeezed it. I loved that bear to death when I was younger, so I saw a little of myself in the main character of your story.
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah! Your story was very well written and I really enjoyed it! It felt very detailed! I like how you incorporated a different religion into your story. I kinda felt this because I grew up in a religious household. A lot of times my parents were always suppressing religion on me. But overall, your story was good!
ReplyDeleteHey Hannah, that was a really heart warming story!! I think you did an excellent job keeping the overall mood and tone of this story consistent with the original while resetting it into western culture. Your author's note was really effective at giving the necessary details of your source story and I really liked your choice to have the narrator marry at the end of the story, rather than becoming a nun or something, as would parallel the original story more closely. I think it is so cool how the themes of devotion and servitude, as well as parental guidance in the way of faith transcend cultures. great job!
ReplyDeleteHey Hannah!
ReplyDeleteI was really impressed with your writing! I couldn't hardly tell that it was a story versus it actually being a personal experience. I really loved it! I am also Christian and could really connect with it. It made me understand the story more and was really heart warming. It was unique how you could switch styles and incorporate a different religion (also a personal one ) in your story and really make it your own. Great job!