He Who Learns

He who learns must suffer.
And even in our sleep
pain that cannot forget
falls drop by drop upon the heart.
And in our own despair,
against our will,
comes wisdom to us
by the awful grace of God.

     - Aeschylus

Another Mother [Father] For Peace

“Another gentle season haunted by echoes of young laughter forever stilled. 

With one voice we cry—Enough!  An end to killing now!”

    - Another Mother For Peace

How Hard Was it Raining?

It poured incessantly throughout Jackie’s last gray night in Hanalei, raindrops echoing off the tin roof of the Paper shack like green scales falling from the hide of a heartbroken mythical, magic dragon.  

Forgiveness and Grace

It sometimes seems that those from whom we least deserve forgiveness are the ones who offer it most freely. 

Je Ne Regrette Rien

Je ne regrette rien!

Eh … peut-être une chose ou deux. 
Bien!  Mais, je ne regrette pas beaucoup. 

 

Vines that Stuggle

Strength, endurance, and compassion are the hard-earned rewards of struggle – and are the legacy of deep bonds to family and friends.  

Only a heart which has been broken can fully understand another’s ache, 
and the memory of an empty plate nourtures compassion for another's hunger. 

Drowning

Experts say that drowning isn’t the loud splashy event portrayed in movies.  Often, the victim simply slides quietly beneath the surface and is lost. 

In First Aid, they teach that deadly choking doesn’t involve gagging and sputtering, but is totally silent, and often goes unnoticed until it’s too late. 

Those nearby when these losses happen are often plagued by doubt and guilt – questioning why they didn’t notice, imagining that they could have saved the victim, if they had just been paying attention.  

So too, with suicide.  Often it’s not the one who threatens it, or makes frequent pitiful noises, who falls victim; but the one who has kept a brave face, who has been strong for others – always putting them first.  Then one day—depleted—there is simply no more air. 

In the aftermath, friends, family, coworkers, people who have known the victim—often for years—are left to wonder how they didn’t see it coming.  What could they have done?  Could he have been saved if only we had seen through the cheerful patina to the struggling soul within?  Often the answer is that there was no outward sign - no way to know, or to help, but the painful questions persist. 

Bummed Jazzmine

The saddest part of every day for Jazzie is right after breakfast, when she realizes how long it is until dinner. 

Math isn’t her strongest subject, but you can almost see her counting the hours.  

She’s inconsolable at times like this.  It’s best to just leave her alone ...
unless you have treats. 

Short Conversations

She: "Does this make me look fat?”

He: “Come on honey, I don’t think clothes can do that” 

He: "Now that's a coincidence!  I’ve been wondering who keeps leaving the seat DOWN!”

He thought he was being funny, but he could tell that she thought otherwise; her silent response echoed through the house, thundering like an ass-chewing from a drill sergeant at a deaf-school boot camp; the message puntuated and clarified by her use of internationally-recognized digital semaphore.