The Love of my Life/ Ashes

First, I didn't really love either of the essays honestly. Ashes was very opposite of how my family is so relating or trying to understand living in a family without hugs, I Love Yous and affection in general is pretty much close to impossible. On the other hand, The Love of my Life was a shocker in a way because I have never really heard of anyone turning to sex to cure their grief.
Ashes was a story where I truly felt bad for the mother not because she had cancer, but because it seemed as though she was living a life that she really didn't want to. She was no stereotypical mother, not really wishing for marriage for her children, and very outspoken about having no alcohol at her daughters wedding. But even when her children are trying to be supportive of her and her sickness she rejects it at all angles. Even with her own husband, who seems to be a royal ass to her, she doesn't seem to mind but imagine how hard that much be for her to live with someone who constantly critisizes your life style and the choices you make. For her it is about her smoking and drinking all the time that he blames for her having cancer. The way that she even gives up on life shows that she never really wanted to truly live it after a while, giving away all of her jewelry and such things to her children shows defeat. It is true that some people diagnosed with a disease like cancer have strong religious beliefs and that is how they make it through, but for this family, what are they supposed to rely on? And why aren't her children enough for her to want to keep living? I think it is because she never truly wanted the life, family, children, or husband that she has now.

The Love of my Life was a heart breaking story simply for Mark because he was truly in love with his wife. He had no clue that she was doing as much as she was behind his back and it probably killed him even more to see how her life unraveled even more after their separation. Also, how loving and caring, and attentive he was with her showed that he would truly do anything to just try and make her happy. Only thing that I did but didn't understand was why she even told him that she had cheated on him to begin with. She knew how truly devastated that he would be, so it would have just been that much better for her to stop having sex woth so many other men and stay loyal to her husband. Her life truly turned to shit after leaving Mark, with the drugs, the abortion and to top that all off the loosing the ring int he river. I'm sure she felt that she had nothing left to live form rightfully so, but it must have been a hell of a ride trying to get through life with the incredibly heavy burden of constant depression.