1. Empathy
1.1. It's better to feel the same pain than sit there and laugh.
1.1.1. This was the beginning of compassion
1.2. some things hurt more that others.
1.2.1. Long after the sobbing and humming had stopped, I lay on the pallet, still as stone with my hands over my ears, wishing that I too could cry and be comforted.
1.3. seeing loved ones hurt can change the way you treat others.
1.3.1. I was lost for a reasonable reply. I could not say, “I’m scared and I don’t want to be alone,” so I merely said, “I’m going out. If you want to come, come on.”
2. guilt
2.1. It's okay to feel bad but it's not okay to continue doing it.
2.1.1. I stood there awkward and ashamed.And I too have planted marigolds.
2.2. guilt doesn't stay forever depending on how you deal with it
2.2.1. Miss Lottie died long ago and many years have passed since I last saw her hut, completely barren at last, for despite my wild contrition
2.3. karma can come in different ways.
2.3.1. I had indeed lost my mind, for all the smoldering emotions of that summer swelled in me and burst
3. Maturity
3.1. Fixing what you did wrong always does good in the end.
3.1.1. And I too have planted marigolds.
3.2. sometimes it is okay to not fit in.
3.2.1. I was lost for a reasonable reply. I could not say, “I’m scared and I don’t want to be alone,” so I merely said, “I’m going out. If you want to come, come on.”
3.3. Don't be a follower be a leader.
3.3.1. Same quote ^^^^^
4. Growth
4.1. As you get older you can get a new output on life
4.1.1. The years have taken me worlds away from that time and that place,
4.2. sometimes you need to help other people grow for the better
4.2.1. " For one does not have to be ignorant and poor to find that his life is as barren as the dusty yards of our town. And I too have planted marigolds." She helped herself change.
4.3. becoming more mature as you get older only does you more good.
4.3.1. In that humiliating moment I looked beyond myself and in to the depth of another person