This wedding photo has been in my living room for almost 30 years. Do you see the beautiful young bridesmaid on the right, throwing rose petals? Her name is Rose Mary. She […]
Against The Dying of the Light
What She Said, May 19: Rachel Griffin
“Dear Person With Mental illness,
You are not a monster. You are a valuable, unique, wonderful human being who deserves everything grand that this life has to offer. Come out of the shadows and stand proudly in who you are. You are not damaged. You are whole, regardless of having a mental illness. I like you the way you are. I wouldn’t change you. I see you differently than you see yourself. I am not afraid of you or your illness . . . I am amazed by you. I am amazed by your courage, willpower, gifts, and talents. I accept you, and your worlds of light and darkness.” –Rachel Griffin
What She Said, May 18: Rupi Kaur
“You look at me and cry; everything hurts. I hold you and whisper: but everything can heal.” –Rupi Kaur
The Insider: A Gloom of One’s Own
“The neighbors lost their white cat,” my husband said, “maybe you could keep an eye out for it.” “Sure,” I said, “if it walks by the couch, I’ll certainly alert someone.” The […]
What She Said, October 16: Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one: you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to. -Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
What She Said, October 10: Pema Chodron
Things falling apart is a kind of testing but also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together and they fall apart. The healing comes from letting there be room for all this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy. -Pema Chodron
Shame to Love: Learning to Live Again After Rape
Jen Pastiloff first posted this essay, titled “Shame to Love: Learning to Live Again After Rape” on TheManifestStation.net, leaving the writer’s name out. She’s posting it again after receiving this note: ”Dear […]
The Gloria Sirens 