Worthless Daughter--Guest Posting at Redbud Writers

I have the privilege of being a member of the Redbud Writers Guild, a group of women writers “fearlessly expanding the feminine voice in our communities, churches and culture.”  Today one of my favorite posts is up at the Redbud blog.

“Thank you, Mother, for raising a worthless daughter.”

These words, part of a lament of a bride going to meet her husband for the first time, summed up the experience of women in China in the 1800’s, according to Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.  In this book, Lisa See brings to light the reality of life for a female in that society:  No value, no rights, raised for a husband’s family, enduring the years of footbinding torture and subsequent crippling, totally dependent on the desires of her parents/brothers/husband/mother-in-law.  She had no purpose—except to bear a son– and no hope.

These words, sadly, have been echoed across countless generations and cultures.

You can read the rest of the story here.