She had awakened to a dread and a pit in her stomach. She lifted the pillow beside her on the sofa and placed it in her lap. She smoothed the face of it. There, embroidered, was the Serenity Prayer. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference. The Serenity Prayer, she thought, flipping the pillow over. So smug. What did it know of life? The pillow had been a gift from Ralph, given for no occasion, decades ago. She had pushed away the wrappings, and her heart had sunk. Ralph was asking her not to struggle. She could see that. He was asking her to be other than she was. Perhaps, she considered, she’d have been wise to heed his wishes. Become someone else. For indeed, what had she made of herself? Was she no better than a frat boy on a drunken sorority girl? Had she lost her antennae for right and wrong?
What do You think about Shaking Out The Dead (2014)?
