Inside Out | Book Report

As a proofreader, I professionally read and edit a wide variety of subject matter. From university-level psychology thesis papers to generational Cajun vampire novellas, radio interviews to technical manuals. 

When I have the chance to read "for pleasure," my interests include true crime, meditation, romantic fiction, preventing caregiver burnout, and DIY home decor hacks. 

Recently, I finished Demi Moore's memoir, Inside Out. Typically, I don't read reviews on books or movies prior to reading or seeing them. I prefer to form my own opinions, experience my own journey. 

In chapter 16, Demi recounts her tumultuous relationship with her mother, abuse suffered at the hands of those unfit to be parents, and how Demi's mother changed following the death of her own husband. 

This wedge affected their mother-daughter relationship until Demi's mother reached the end of her life. 

Reading this, I thought of multiple people in my own life who may benefit from this tidbit of wisdom. Really, what good is wisdom left unshared?

May you all be blessed to recognize the special gems in your life before the season passes, and your opportunity to cherish them is gone. 

"Without him, she was completely lost and increasingly at the mercy of her addiction and her bipolarity, which had finally been diagnosed. And now, her body was giving out. 

When she was hurting me, I couldn't really see past that. I felt unsafe and betrayed and on the deepest level, devastated that she didn't love me enough to be a better mother. 

To not exploit me for money. To behave herself at my wedding. To pick me up from school when she said she would. To protect me from Val, and all the rest of it.

I have since come to understand that there is no such thing as someone loving you enough to be better. People can only be as good as they are, no matter how much they love you. That's the bad news.

The good news is that you have the power to hold their actions differently in your own mind and heart. You can choose to believe that your value is inherent; it's yours. That the way your mother treated you says something about her, not you.

Or, you can choose to believe that your mother's neglect means that you're unlovable and worthless.

As long as you keep that wound from closing, you'll be sore."

Demi Moore

Inside Out, Chapter 16

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