It's the hottest fires that make the hardest steel

Do you remember the Super Bowl commercials from this year? I only remember one:

I lived in Michigan for three years, and my years there overlapped with the bankruptcies of Chrysler and GM. I got goosebumps when this commercial directly addressed the critics, the politicians, and the American public when it notes that story you've heard about Detroit and about the American auto companies was "written by folks who have never even been here."

My husband and I were directly affected by the turmoil in the auto companies, and we knew many families who were affected as well. I can't describe how incredibly stressful that experience was. Well, maybe I can describe it: It was pure hell.

I'm not going to detail all that I felt, and all the BS I heard from people I counted on to support my husband and me while we were going through one of the most difficult experiences of our lives. At least not today. And frankly, I don't want to hear your opinions about it either - unless you were there, you'll never fully grasp how devastating those Congressional hearings and newspaper stories and backhanded comments really were.

Instead, I want to honor the sentiment of that commercial and show you the Detroit you haven't seen, what the newspapers didn't show you...

What a city that has been to hell and back knows about the finer things in life.

What I love about these pictures are not the pretty flowers, although I do love the pretty flowers. No, it's where I found these beautiful flowers...

... In the shadow of the General Motors headquarters.

I don't remember seeing these images on the news, do you?

I didn't especially enjoy living in Michigan, but it's a part of who I am. I learned a lot about myself from the experience, just like I learned a lot from being a housewife in Charlotte. The lessons were quite different though.

Charlotte taught me about marriage and partnership. Michigan taught me economics and politics.

Charlotte reminded me to cherish my friends and family who I didn't get to see very often. Michigan reminded me of who I could count on when the going got tough.

Charlotte helped me acknowledge my weaknesses. Michigan helped me find strength I didn't know I had.

But most of all, Michigan taught me to be resilient. Like the auto companies, and the people who worked for them or with them, I went through hell and back in Michigan. I was damaged certainly, but not broken. And like the city of Detroit, I knew that despite the turmoil I experienced, there was something beautiful growing inside me that I would would one day uncover.

Charlotte gave me time to heal. Charlotte helped me find the beauty.

Now that I'm in Milwaukee, I'm ready to incorporate those lessons I learned from Michigan and Charlotte. I'm not the same person I was when I last lived in Milwaukee. Or maybe I am the same person, but now I just understand who this person is.

I am strong. I am passionate. I am intelligent. I am flawed. I am compassionate. I am an educator, a social worker, and a new kind of housewife. I make my own rules.