The piece “Learning to Love” by Callie Storie touched my heart and broadened my mind. The beautifully-written composition left a profound impact on my emotions, but at the same time inspired me to learn from my experiences. Even after the last sentence my thoughts were centered on one word: amazing.
At first, I was smiling at the undying love Callie had for her father. Memories of childhood flooded my mind as I came to know how inseparable Callie and her father were. When Callie fell, her father was always there to pick her back up. Like true parent and child, Callie was “Daddy’s Girl.”
Later, Callie’s bond with her father was nearly severed. In just a paragraph, I found myself strangely anxious as I waited for the results of Callie’s father’s aorta surgery. Although the situation was not one of life and death for me, my tensions rose all the same. Through just black and white words on a magazine page, Callie had evoked fear and apprehension, and later despair when her father passed away. Even without personally knowing her or her father, the poignant phrasing and delicately handled pacing was enough to arouse tears.
But even after Callie accepted that her father was gone, she remained strong. The lessons her father would always remained with her, and so, in a way, her father lives on through her. Most important of all, “by being loved, [Callie] learned to love.” With the creation of this article, I was able to gain this wisdom as well, along with perhaps thousands of others who have learned to love. Thank you, Callie, for sharing your story with the world.