Year: 2020

December 12, 2020December 12, 2020 ddangler

Legacy of an adopted child

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(Author Unknown)

Once there were two women

Who never knew each other.

One you do not remember,

The other you call mother.

Two different lives

Shaped to make yours one.

One became your guiding star,

The other became your sun.

The first gave you life

And the second taught you to live it.

The first gave you a need for love

And the second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality,

The other gave you a name.

One gave you a seed of talent,

The other gave you an aim.

One gave you emotions,

The other calmed your fears.

One saw your first sweet smile,

The other dried your tears.

One gave you up —

It was all that she could do.

The other prayed for a child

And God led her straight to you.

And now you ask me

Through your tears,

The age-old question

Through the years:

Heredity or environment

Which are you the product of?

Neither, my darling — neither,

Just two different kinds of love

December 12, 2020December 12, 2020 ddangler

Adoption Poem

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Not flesh of my flesh

Nor bone of my bone,

But still miraculously my own.

Never forget for a single minute,

You didn’t grow under my heart

But in it.

– Fleur Conkling Heyliger

November 17, 2020November 17, 2020 ddangler

The Labyrinth

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“Each person is no simple, one-dimensional self. There is a labyrinth within our soul. What we think and desire often comes into conflict with what we do. Below the surface of our conscious awareness, a vast, unknown rootage determines our actions. The unconscious is a powerful and continuous presence. Every life lives out of and struggles with this inner night, which cast it’s challenging and fecund shadows over everything we do and think and feel. We are earthen vessels that hold the treasure. Yet, aspects of the treasure are darker and more dangerous than we allow ourselves to imagine. But, when the unconscious becomes illuminated, it’s darker forces no longer hold us prisoner.”

-John O’Donohue

November 9, 2020 ddangler

Choose Joy

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Choose joy. Choose it like a child chooses the shoe to put on the right foot, the crayon to paint a sky. Choose it at first consciously, effort fully, pressing against the weight of a world heavy with reasons for sorrow, restless with need for action.

Feel the sorrow, take the action, but keep pressing the weight of joy against it all, until it becomes mindless, automated, like gravity pulling the stream down its course; until it becomes an inner law of nature. If Viktor Frankl can exclaim “yes to life, in spite of everything!” — and what an everything he lived through — then so can any one of us amid the rubble of our plans, so trifling by comparison. Joy is not a function of a life free of friction and frustration, but a function of focus — an inner elevation by the fulcrum of choice.

Delight in the age-salted man on the street corner waiting for the light to change, his age-salted dog beside him, each inclined toward the other with the angular subtlety of absolute devotion.

Delight in the little girl zooming past you on her little bicycle, this fierce emissary of the future, rainbow tassels waving from her handlebars and a hundred beaded braids spilling from her golden helmet.

Delight in the snail taking an afternoon to traverse the abyssal crack in the sidewalk for the sake of pasturing on a single blade of grass.

Delight in the tiny new leaf, so shy and so shamelessly lush, unfurling from the crooked stem of the parched geranium.

Lara Seven Gryffn

November 9, 2020 ddangler

What does this mean?

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The shape of each soul is different; spiritual clothing one person wears can never fit the soul of another. Each destiny has a unique curvature and must find its own spiritual belonging and direction. I’m a spiritual search is too intense and hungry the soul stays hidden. The soul was never meant to be seen completely. Celtic mysticism recognizes that rather than trying to expose the soul or offer it our fragile care we should let the soul find us and care for us. Then, when you’re soul awakens, your destiny becomes urgent with creativity. – John O’Donohue

November 3, 2020November 3, 2020 ddangler

Human Beings

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“You don’t fear people whose story you know.”

“Real listening always brings people closer together.”

“Trust that meaningful conversations can always change your world.”

Meg Wheatley

September 23, 2020January 3, 2021 ddangler

Tiny Weeny Greenies

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This wonderful story was written by my dear friend, Larry Polsky who sadly left this earth on October 1, 2020 due to melanoma.

In the forest lived teeny weeny green people. They lived and played with each other in the grass and flowers.

One morning a teeny weenie greenie named Alfalfa told his parents he was going on a walk

They said “Don’t go too far.  Remember not to go beyond the green. And be back for lunch”

Alfalfa walked and walked and walked. Eventually he came upon an area that looked different.  Everything was no longer green. “I’ll just go a little further”, he said to himself.

He walked on into the non-green area and was amazed at what he saw.  It was bright and energetic, but in a different way than green.

All of sudden he saw another little boy.  The boy was also this non green bright color. “Hi”, he said, “I’m Cherry.  Where are you from?”.  “I’m Alfalfa.  I live where everything is green.”

“Let me show you around”, said Cherry. They walked and ran around. Cherry pointed out different things, all the bright non green color. “This is our stream, that is our school, and here is my house.”

They walked in and Cherry’s parents were there. “This is my new friend Alfalfa”.  “Hi Alalfa.  We are Mr. and Mrs Rose.  Where do you live?”  “I live over there where everything is green”.  “That’s wonderful. We have never met anyone from there,” said the parents.

Would you like some lunch?”  they said. “Oh! My mom said I should be home for lunch.  But maybe it’s ok.”

So they sat down and ate.  Spaghetti in Tomato sauce, and Cranberry juice.  Then, alfalfa said “Where I live everything is green.  Here everything is not green. Why is that?”

“Everything here is red. It always has been,” said Cherry. “That’s right.  Since as far back as we know, its been red with red people,” said Mrs Rose.

“Cool. I like red.  It’s so bright and fun,” said Alfalfa.  “I think I will go home now.”  “Can I go with him?” said Cherry.  “Yes, you can walk him to end of the red,” said Mrs Rose.

As they walked outside there were two children playing.  When they saw Alfalfa one said, “Hey who are you?  Teenie weenie greenies don’t belong here!”

Alfalfa felt upset and didn’t know what to say.  Cherry said, “Chili, this is Alfalfa. He is my friend. “ My dad said that the greens don’t belong. They are troublemakers,” said Chili.

Other kids heard the noise and came over.  Then Chili pushed Alfalfa to the ground.  When Alfalfa fell he cut his hand. 

Cherry said, “Look his blood is red just like mine. We are all the same inside.”

All the red kids gathered around to see.  “You are right!” said Chili. 

And now they were all friends for life.