--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once upon a time there were two parents…" description: "\"“Once upon a time there were two parents, two children, and a brick house with lilies in the yard. The parents died, the lilies wilted. One child disap..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/lauren-destefano-892_bricks_once-upon-a-time-there-were-two-parents_1814787.png" --- # Once upon a time there were two parents, two children, and… ![“Once upon a time there were two parents, two children, and a brick house with lilies in the yard. The parents died, the lilies wilted. One child disappeared. Then the other.” quote by Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/lauren-destefano-892_bricks_once-upon-a-time-there-were-two-parents_1814787.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/lauren-destefano-892_bricks_once-upon-a-time-there-were-two-parents_1814787.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/lauren-destefano-892_bricks_once-upon-a-time-there-were-two-parents_1814787.png) > ““Once upon a time there were two parents, two children, and a brick house with lilies in the yard. The parents died, the lilies wilted. One child disappeared. Then the other.”” [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A family’s loss and separation are symbolized by a house and wilted lilies, ending in the survival of one child. **In simple terms:** Family loss leads to one child surviving. Key Takeaway Cherish remaining bonds. Themes family loss survival loneliness memory Mood melancholic reflective Type narrative emotional When to use this quote - inheritance - family reunion - personal reflection - counseling Key Concepts symbolism grief resilience Questions to Reflect On - How does loss shape identity? - What does the surviving child represent? A Different Perspective The narrative may oversimplify complex grief processes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Lilies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lilies/) [Once upon a time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once-upon-a-time/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [My parents died a long time ago. And you know the sad thing? I still miss them every day. I spent my entire youth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/my-parents-died-a-long-time-ago-and-you-know-the-sad-thing-i-still/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Don't be a fool, Better save your own life and join me... or you'll meet the same end as your parents... They died begging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voldemort/don-t-be-a-fool-better-save-your-own-life-and-join-me-or-you-ll-meet/) [Voldemort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voldemort/) > [I have heard people say that they felt closer to their parents after they have died. Maybe if I treat people as if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-have-heard-people-say-that-they-felt-closer-to-their-parents-after/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I used to stay with my grandparents in Juhu from the beginning and my sister lived with my parents. They both died five years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sooraj-pancholi/i-used-to-stay-with-my-grandparents-in-juhu-from-the-beginning-and-my/) [Sooraj Pancholi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sooraj-pancholi/) > [Both my parents died on the young side. My father was 45, and my mother was 61, so cancer's affected me in a big way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-connolly/both-my-parents-died-on-the-young-side-my-father-was-45-and-my-mother/) [Kevin Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-connolly/) > [“parents died. I need to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-love/parents-died-i-need-to/) [Frankie Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-love/) > [“I’ve had a lot of sucks in life A lot My parents died almost four years ago, right after I turned seven With every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/i-ve-had-a-lot-of-sucks-in-life-a-lot-my-parents-died-almost-four/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“The afternoon my parents died, I was out shoplifting with Irene Klauson.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-m-danforth/the-afternoon-my-parents-died-i-was-out-shoplifting-with-irene-klauson/) [Emily M. Danforth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-m-danforth/) > [When my parents died they both were 47, and they died of complications of different diseases; one being diabetes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-furst/when-my-parents-died-they-both-were-47-and-they-died-of-complications/) [Stephen Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-furst/) > [My mother's parents died when I was quite young, so I would like to be able to go back and know those people as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/my-mother-s-parents-died-when-i-was-quite-young-so-i-would-like-to-be/) [Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/) > [When I was 19 years old, both of my parents died in the same year; my mom of cancer and my dad in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/when-i-was-19-years-old-both-of-my-parents-died-in-the-same-year-my/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [My father came by himself across the North Korean border when he was seventeen. And hasn't seen his brothers or sisters or parents since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-yong-kim/my-father-came-by-himself-across-the-north-korean-border-when-he-was/) [Jim Yong Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-yong-kim/) > [“since my parents died. The circumstances were public knowledge, minus the details you would expect only if you were there, yet it remained something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taryn-plendl/since-my-parents-died-the-circumstances-were-public-knowledge-minus/) [Taryn Plendl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taryn-plendl/) > [I talk to my kids about my mothers energy and how she would have loved them. I talk about how kind and polite my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemon-andersen/i-talk-to-my-kids-about-my-mothers-energy-and-how-she-would-have/) [Lemon Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemon-andersen/) > [I think because my parents died in their early 50s, mid 50s, I always thought I would die young. And that's been both a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/i-think-because-my-parents-died-in-their-early-50s-mid-50s-i-always/) [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) ## More by Lauren DeStefano > [“I watch the perfectly imperfect people several stories below, living their perfectly imperfect lives, and I think about how many decades will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/i-watch-the-perfectly-imperfect-people-several-stories-below-living/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [You have a way of looking at things. You make it seem as though everything's going to be okay. I can't imagine a more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/you-have-a-way-of-looking-at-things-you-make-it-seem-as-though/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [He says one word, nodding into the daylight. "Look." It's an astounding word. It's a gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/he-says-one-word-nodding-into-the-daylight-look-it-s-an-astounding/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“Rhine: It's okay that you miss her. She was the love of your life. Linden: Not the only love. It feels wrong to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/rhine-it-s-okay-that-you-miss-her-she-was-the-love-of-your-life/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“She strokes my cheeks with the side of her hand – a repetitive, wispy motion. Like little ghost kisses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/she-strokes-my-cheeks-with-the-side-of-her-hand-a-repetitive-wispy/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [I've done it all before, I tell myself, and I can do it again. Trust is the strongest weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/i-ve-done-it-all-before-i-tell-myself-and-i-can-do-it-again-trust-is/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [Even things that aren't broken can be fixed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/even-things-that-aren-t-broken-can-be-fixed/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“Now isn't the time to be angry with my brother, but I suppose the anger I feel for him never goes away. I cover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/now-isn-t-the-time-to-be-angry-with-my-brother-but-i-suppose-the/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [I see an ocean that’s spilled out of a wineglass, its body clear and sparkling and folding over itself. I see a ribbon of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/i-see-an-ocean-that-s-spilled-out-of-a-wineglass-its-body-clear-and/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [Gabriel's voice can reach me anywhere. Even in a hurricane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/gabriel-s-voice-can-reach-me-anywhere-even-in-a-hurricane/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [Maybe what frightens us about the edge isn't our fear of morality, but the thoughts it leads us to have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/maybe-what-frightens-us-about-the-edge-isn-t-our-fear-of-morality-but/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“This isn’t living, what all of us are doing. We drive down long, dilapidated back roads.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/this-isn-t-living-what-all-of-us-are-doing-we-drive-down-long/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“I don't know how it happens. We move our faces at the same time, and then our lips are touching. I've lost my worries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/i-don-t-know-how-it-happens-we-move-our-faces-at-the-same-time-and/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [Suddenly the clouds seem high above us. They’re moving over us in an arch, circling the planet. They have seen abysmal oceans and charred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/suddenly-the-clouds-seem-high-above-us-they-re-moving-over-us-in-an/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“I wonder if the people of the ground ever feel that their children are too big for their world, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/i-wonder-if-the-people-of-the-ground-ever-feel-that-their-children/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) [Explore all 327 Lauren DeStefano quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) ## More Bricks quotes > [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [That city is well fortified which has a wall of men instead of brick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-city-is-well-fortified-which-has-a-wall-of-men-instead-of-brick/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [LEGO is universal. So many people enjoy it, from all different walks of life, all different ages, all different cultures. When I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-sawaya/lego-is-universal-so-many-people-enjoy-it-from-all-different-walks-of/) [Nathan Sawaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-sawaya/) > [Even if you tried to extinguish your personality, what is left in the story will reflect it, perhaps by its negation. Our lives provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/even-if-you-tried-to-extinguish-your-personality-what-is-left-in-the/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [I am the enfant terrible of literature and science. If I cannot, and I know I cannot, get the literary and scientific bigwigs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/i-am-the-enfant-terrible-of-literature-and-science-if-i-cannot-and-i/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [The Brick House was one of the toughest joints I ever played in ... Guys would drink and fight one another like circle saws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/the-brick-house-was-one-of-the-toughest-joints-i-ever-played-in-guys/) [Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/) > [I am always really buzzed after each performance, and at around one in the morning, Ill hit a brick wall and need to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hattie-morahan/i-am-always-really-buzzed-after-each-performance-and-at-around-one-in/) [Hattie Morahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hattie-morahan/) > [“Savannah gray bricks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-andrews/savannah-gray-bricks/) [Mary Kay Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-andrews/) > [I still have the desire to do the job of acting. It's just a matter of whether I'll be allowed to do the job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-coleman/i-still-have-the-desire-to-do-the-job-of-acting-it-s-just-a-matter-of/) [Gary Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-coleman/) > [Rebuilding a network is a slow, brick-by-brick process. It's not just creating a hit show - it's building shows to back up that hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-moonves/rebuilding-a-network-is-a-slow-brick-by-brick-process-it-s-not-just/) [Leslie Moonves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-moonves/) > [Build your life brick upon brick, Live a life of truth, And you will look back on a life of truth. Live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/build-your-life-brick-upon-brick-live-a-life-of-truth-and-you-will/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [You have those walls up all around you...Come a day you gonna want to tear them down brick by brick and gonna find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/you-have-those-walls-up-all-around-you-come-a-day-you-gonna-want-to/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“As an employee, you’re not supposed to say the bricks come from modern day Iran or modern day Turkey. No, they come from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-hill-jr/as-an-employee-you-re-not-supposed-to-say-the-bricks-come-from-modern/) David A. Hill Jr > [“Two bricks, parallel and horizontal, equals an equal sign. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/two-bricks-parallel-and-horizontal-equals-an-equal-sign/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Didn’t every new thing you did become a part of you, one of your bricks?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/didn-t-every-new-thing-you-did-become-a-part-of-you-one-of-your-bricks/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) Browse all 587 Bricks quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Once upon a time there were two parents, two children, and a brick house with lilies in the yard. The parents died, the lilies wilted. One child disappeared. Then the other.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lauren DeStefano" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/once-upon-a-time-there-were-two-parents-two-children-and-a-brick/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bricks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/once-upon-a-time-there-were-two-parents-two-children-and-a-brick/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/lauren-destefano-892_bricks_once-upon-a-time-there-were-two-parents_1814787.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/lauren-destefano-892_bricks_once-upon-a-time-there-were-two-parents_1814787.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b1/lauren-destefano-892_bricks_once-upon-a-time-there-were-two-parents_1814787.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Once upon a time there were two parents, two children, and a brick house with lilies in the yard. The…” — Lauren DeStefano", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lauren DeStefano", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Once upon a time there were...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/once-upon-a-time-there-were-two-parents-two-children-and-a-brick/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/once-upon-a-time-there-were-two-parents-two-children-and-a-brick/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```