When I was in college in the early 80s, I loved to go to what we referred to as “sets” - the fraternity and sorority parties. Really, these parties were dances where, typically, step shows would take place. I loved those dances because, frankly, I loved to dance (and I was good at it).
When I graduated from college in ’87, I very seldom went to a dance or a party. I didn’t like the fact that I usually wasn’t chosen as a dance partner (I think usually I wore too many clothes, or maybe, I just wasn’t cute enough – although I really don’t think that was it!). I wasn’t into the whole drinking scene, and really, it was just too much work to get dressed, stand in line, and pay money just to watch people do some ridiculous things sometimes. So, needless to say, I haven’t been to a party (except the occasional wedding reception) in quite awhile!
I now have the opportunity – and everyone is invited, including YOU – to go to a PARTY where you can meet people and win prizes!!! If you’ve been visiting my blog, you’ve noticed in my sidebar an announced party – “The Ultimate Blog Party” hosted by 5 Minutes For Mom. This is the place you’ll want to come from March 2 – 9, 2007 to get greater exposure for your blog, meet some new people, hang out with some old acquaintances, and win prizes! For example, you can win:
- Software
- Toys
- Books
- Gift Cards (from Barnes & Nobel and iTunes, for example)
- Chocolates!!!
- CDs
- Customized Blog Designs!!!
- Stationery
- And much more!!!
All you have to do is click on the “Ultimate Blog Party” banner at the top of the sidebar to get to the party hosted by 5 Minutes For Mom (make sure you click on the banner to do this), sign up as a party guest using the Mr. Linky there (by noon on March 8th), and whalla!, you’re eligible for the prizes listed, which will be drawn on March 9th at 7:00pm. But don’t just come for the prizes (although the prizes are great!). Come and meet some new people and reintroduce or reacquaint yourself with others by searching Mr. Linky for old friends or new and clicking on the links. You never know who you might meet or what connection you might make!
I’m excited about this party, because I’ll get the opportunity to learn about others out there in the blogosphere! People from whom I can learn. People who might enjoy what I have to offer. People who might want to comment on my blog. People whose posts I will want to comment on.
So join in and come to the party! Let’s get it started right here! From Friday, March 2 through Friday, March 9. I hope to see you there!
I remember what it was like before I became a parent when I heard tragic news about a child. I’d get sad, maybe a little angry, but the feelings would soon disappear. Generally, those stories didn’t have long-term effects on me.
Since I had my daughter, every story of child abuse and exploitation I hear makes me angry. I recently heard a story that made me cry. Because what ends up happening is I hear and see my daughter in place of the abused child sometimes, and I think to myself,
“What if that was my daughter?”
And then I shudder. I have to be so careful not to let those thoughts linger further. But it’s hard sometimes.
Paula Neal Mooney was recently tagged by Ilker Yoldas for a meme that brings the issue of children victimized by online porn to the forefront. Paula just tagged me. And so, here I am, attempting to make some sense of what I believe with regard to this issue that I now find myself thinking alot about. Because needless to say, as I parent, I don’t want my daughter to ever be exploited in this way (or any way).
Basically, the meme originates at Blogger Power: Safeguard the Web for Children. It is a project which seeks to bring attention to the fact that adult sites with explicit content require no safeguards that would prevent children from gaining access to their sites. The initiative, directed toward owners of adult sites, makes the following request:
“Please require a password-protected login before allowing even free access to explicit adult content. We understand that selling porn is your business and we respect your right to make a legal living. But understand our legitimate concerns and work with us. You already have the ‘warning adult content’ on your websites. Yet kids, who are not legal customers of your product, ignore the warning. So to prevent them from having direct access to explicit images, texts and sounds, the simplest way is to have a password-protected login. No more ‘free tours’ before a visitor supplies basic information.
I find this to be a noble effort at attempting to protect our children. No doubt, adult sites are everywhere. In fact, I was checking out blogs one day this past week using MyBlogLog (a great and addictive site), clicked on a face, got to this person’s homepage, scrolled down, and on the site was a picture of a naked woman with her legs spread. Needless to say, I had no idea of the content of that site before I clicked. I quickly clicked away because I didn’t want the blog owner thinking I was interested in anything about her site. Nonetheless (and oops! too late!) the content was there. And as I would have never expected to run across that type of content, an innocent child can be exposed to an adult site with explicit content just as unsuspectingly as I was.
I was not affected by seeing the picture. I’m an adult. However, it’s different for a child. Children are much more impressionable about sexuality, especially during their teenage years. According to Prevention Works, in an article, “Teens, Crime, and Brain Development,” adolescence is a time
“…when youth encounter and struggle with new and profound situations, including acceptance of responsibility, physical changes, and self discovery…”
The article goes on to state,
“In recent years there have been many studies done on the human brain’s development during adolescent years that would…prove society’s belief that youth are incapable of making highly rational decisions before adulthood.”
The authors of the article cite studies on frontal lobe development in adolescents to arrive at the conclusion that,
“The frontal lobe has been found to play a part in impulse control, judgment, language, memory, motor function, problem solving, sexual behavior, socialization and spontaneity (emphasis mine).”
Therefore, while I was able to make a conscious decision that the explicit content I saw on that blog was not good for me and could be potentially harmful, a child will probably not arrive at the same conclusion. That child may not be able to determine that gazing at such material is not in her/his best interests (problem solving). He or she might try to engage the arousal they might experience in unhealthy ways (sexual behavior). That child might be so enticed by sexually-explicit images that they might seek out ways to “live out” what they see or “relieve” what they’re experiencing with another person (socialization). Finally, the urgency of what they’re experiencing might prohibit any sense of “let me think about this for a minute” and result in a child making an impulsively poor decision (spontaneity). Physiologically, then, adolescents should not be expected to make the best decisions regarding such a sexually-charged issue - at least not without some guidance.
Where does this guidance come from? From parents, of course. Parents have a great responsibility to teach their children right from wrong. My husband and I are the ones who set the boundaries for our daughter. She doesn’t know how to set them. And if studies about frontal lobe development are true (there isn’t any reason, really, to doubt – I see it everyday in the behavior of my high school students), my husband and I, as her parents, have to be aggressively proactive at ensuring she knows what is beneficial to her soul and what is harmful to her well-being. We have to be increasingly diligent at teaching her how to make decisions. We are the ones who raise her, teach her, discipline her, love her. We are the ones to teach her what is offensive and why (this includes not just adult porn, but R-rated movies, music with misogynistic lyrics, etc.). And hopefully, once we surround her with that framework, when she has to make a decision to engage in “this or that,” she will be adequately informed by that which her parents taught her and make good choices.
So, as much as I can’t stand the fact that explicit content is so readily available online, I don’t believe it’s simply the producers of online (or in-print) adult content that are at fault for children being exposed to this material. In fact, if they aren’t actively doing something now to protect children from being exposed to their content, I doubt they even care that children are viewing it. Therefore, we can’t rely on them to make a difference. They’re out to make a profit. But we, as parents, I believe, can have much greater impact on our children each day by our words and actions than an outsider ever can.
We can let owners of adult sites know we don’t approve. But let’s let our children know why we don’t approve. Let’s love them enough to have those tough conversations that can make the difference between life and death.
Now, don’t ask me how to do it. Our daughter is not yet three years old. But I guarantee you, we will love her enough and so much to have that dialogue, no matter how uncomfortable it might be.
Thanks Paula!
In last week’s “Women Who Run With The Wolves” post, I indicated we were going to be studying Chapter 2 – Stalking the Intruder: The Beginning Initiation. In this chapter, Dr. Estes tells the story of “Bluebeard,” the antagonist born within us that:
“severs the woman from her intuitive nature…leav[ing] the woman deadened in feeling, feeling frail to advance her life; her ideas and dreams lay at her feet drained of animation.”
This “Bluebeard” is a predator, and naive women, whether young or old, are the prey. It is the woman’s responsibility to learn to identify this predator in order to ensure that it does not bury what makes us who we are as women.
Well, ladies (and gentlemen who want to learn more as well), this is about as much progress I’ve made this week. It is a dense chapter (what else is new about this wonderful book), and I try to go over the chapters a few times, attempt to live out what I’ve read, and communicate it back to my readers for comments, questions, feedback. However, this week has been a bit hectic at school, as I have had to grade over 80 papers and write comments (same concept as a blog; give feedback, constructive criticism, support, etc.) for those same students. Needless to say, it does take a good bit of time.
Therefore, I have no “analysis” of this chapter this week. However, we will resume our study next Monday, March 5th, continuing in Chapter 2. So you have more time to read and reflect!
In the meantime, if you haven’t had an opportunity to read the previous four posts, take a look at them by clicking on one of the “Article Series” posts below. (Yes, this study is now in the form of Article Series, so you can have access to any of the posts in the study readily.)
Look out for that Wild Woman!
The title of this post sounds like I’m about to play a childhood game, huh? Actually, Jose over at Tried It Myself! was tagged and he tagged me, so here I am, participating in the “Five Reasons Why I Blog” meme.
Jose calls himself an “accidental blogger.” That’s a good way to describe how I arrived here as well. In fact, my husband was talking about blogging a few years ago as he talked about the release of his upcoming book project. At that time, he got a bit sidetracked with another essential project, and I forgot about the whole blogging business. All of a sudden, though, back in November ’06, the idea of blogging entered my mind. I remembered what he said and began researching it for him (I am a great researcher). As I was gathering information to encourage him to begin his blogging endeavors, I was reminded of the fact that I have a ministry waiting in the wings that had not yet gotten off the ground because it just wasn’t time.
Nevertheless, it seemed to now be the time, and it appeared blogging would be a good way for me to begin. As I talked with my husband about it, he encouraged me to go forth while he was completing his project. And I was excited about it. So I went forth, not knowing. And so here I am.
So why do I blog? Here are my five reasons:
- Blogging allows me to communicate with people around the world without having to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars to do so. It is my hope that I will, someday, have the opportunity to travel to provide ministry somewhere. However, I don’t know how long it will be before that happens. So God has provided me this opportunity. And it’s been great! I had no idea the wonderful worldwide exposure you can get just by putting yourself out there.
- Blogging gives me an opportunity to exercise and refine the writing gift God placed within me. Please know I never considered myself to be a writer (although I’ve written tons of papers during both of my grad school stints). In fact, my husband often told me that I was a writer, and just as often I looked at him in disbelief. However, now that I’m blogging (writing) regularly, I’m enjoying it, and seeing improvement in my gift (if anyone would like to provide feedback, please do so – I welcome it!).
- Blogging allows me to be aware of those things that I, personally, need to improve upon in my own life. In other words, my blog is sort of like a journal, but not. The fact that I’m a wife, mother, friend, daughter, teacher, etc. all inform who I am, but I also know I need to work on all of those aspects of my life. By blogging, I enter into conversations that help me to gain wisdom so I can grow to be better today than I was yesterday.
- Blogging gives me the opportunity to develop the material I need to have a fruitful ministry. Although I’ve only been blogging a short time, I already have lots of material I’ve generated here that I can further develop for ministry purposes.
- Finally, I blog to have fun in the blogosphere! There are lots of interesting people out there, and it’s fun discovering who they are. What’s the sense of doing something you don’t like to do, especially when it’s practically for free (except for hosting expenses)? Not here, buddy!
So those are the five reasons why I blog. I’m sure others will creep up as I continue my ramblings in the blogosphere, but I’m certain I’ve been long-winded enough. Okay, who’s next?
I don’t know how I found Rachel Briggs at The Challenge Of Life, but I admire her courage to share some very personal experiences and the challenges that go along with them (hence the title of her blog). So Rachel, let us know, what are five reasons why you blog?
If you want to see a blog with some good graphics, photos, etc., in addition to great content, check out Peg over at Peg, As She Is. And so, Peg, you’ve now been meme tagged (is that a term?). What are five reasons why you blog?
When I stumbled upon Paula Neal Mooney‘s site, it was sort of tough getting off it. I finally had to just cut myself off and send her a message telling her that she was completely nutty (in a good way). Paula, you’ve been tagged. What are five reasons why you blog?
Lastly, I mentioned at the beginning of this post that my husband was the inspiration behind my blogging start. Well, under the name “manchild,” he began his blog entitled When Least Expected in Jan. 07. So, manchild, what are five reasons why you blog?
Thank you, Jose, for the opportunity to share a bit about an endeavor that keeps growing by the day!
Time flies when you’re having fun! It seems that it was just yesterday that I posted last week’s Five Favorites For Friday, and yet, another week is just about done. I discovered some posts this week that generally covered the areas of personal growth and development, but I stumbled upon a very funny post as well. In no order or preference, here are this week’s “Favorites.”
Favorite #1 – Go, go, go, go, go, go, go! Non-stop, never-ending, never-ceasing, email-driven, Blackberry-addicted, stressed-out, anxiety-ridden, and insomnia-laden…Do any of these compound adjectives describe anybody you know (of course, not you, and certainly not me!)? For that person you know, Madena M. (whose mission in life is to encourage others to reach their fullest potential) at Soul To Soul provides a wonderful balm to soothe the savage trying to take over one’s soul in her post “What Are You Running From?”.
Favorite #2 – Here is a post by Jennifer Jones at Goodness Graciousness entitled “Losing Everything…And Surviving.” It is one of those posts that helps to put things about life in perspective, at least for a moment.
Favorite #3 – Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant, M.P.H., writing at Cultivate Greatness states, “None of us wants to think of ourselves as toxic, and chances are, for the most part you are not. But there are certain times of our lives that all of us start to exhibit more noxious tendencies. If you’ve noticed any of the following signs, you may need to detoxify your life…” Discover the signs and how you would go about flushing out the toxins poisoning your life in “Becoming A Non-Toxic Person.” Don’t let that poison seep into the lives of those around you…
Favorite #4 – Chatty over at Chatty Crone discusses the importance of thinking about the miracles that occur around you each day in a post entitled…Well, it’s not titled. A picture is truly worth a thousand words…
Favorite #5 – Now for a little humor. For those of you who are teachers (and for those of you who aren’t), I highly recommend you read “Amazing Exam Papers” at The Barrister Blog. Here you will find out what happens when students are clueless about concepts but have amazing creative ability. For example, if by chance you ever wanted to discover how to use calculus to find the identity of Batman, you’ve found how to do it here. Because I teach, this post is a little sad to me, but in a completely hilarious sort of way (sounds like there’s a little twistedness going on in my head, huh?).
That ends this week’s Five Favorites. Let me know how you liked the posts. And as always, please visit and comment on these blogs. I know they’d love to hear from you (as would I!)!
As we were driving home a couple of days ago, my 2.75 year old daughter made a wonderful observation. Here’s how the conversation went:
A.: God did that!
Mommy: God did what?
A.: God painted the sky.
Mommy: God painted the sky?
A.: God painted the sky blue! I’m gonna call God!
My daughter then opened her cellphone (it is an actual phone that our cellphone provider gave her the last time we upgraded phones) and said,
A.: God, did you paint the sky blue? Oh…okay!
She then gave Him her phone number (yes, she does know my husband cellphone number and uses it as her own), and said,
A.: I’ll call you back…bye!
The entire discourse probably lasted less than 30 seconds, but those 30 seconds made me feel so incredibly warm and filled. I am pleased that my daughter feels so comfortable knowing she can call up God anytime she wants and talk about whatever she wants. It’s that childlike approach to God that exudes a confident humility adults so often lack when going before Him. That is, we sometimes approach Him with “thee’s” and “thou’s,” language common in the 17th century, but not the 21st century (don’t we understand He knows we don’t speak King James English?) We sometimes don’t believe we know how to approach God, so we don’t. We sometimes don’t approach God at all – out of fear.
But what if we had this childlike attitude? What if, when we saw something in our world that makes us catch our breath we said, “Wow, God, thank you for that.” What if, when we had a problem, we’d say, “I’m gonna call God,” and proceed to really do it. What if, when we know God worked something out that we had no idea what to do with that we said, “I acknowledge, Lord, you did that for me…thank you.” What if we did all that, and afterward said, as my daughter said that day, “I’ll call you back…bye!”
I know that if I regularly had this attitude, I would see things in my world much differently than I sometimes do – for the better. I’m working on it.
What about you?
Out of the mouths of babes…Isn’t it great what children can teach us?
As a high school teacher of Biblical studies, I try to provide an environment where my students can discuss any topic and know they are in a safe environment to do so. Today, though, for a time, my students wanted to rag on teachers they’ve had in the past. As I listened for a few moments, I finally stopped them and explained that teachers are human, and that in spite of all our noble efforts, we sometimes fail, just as they do. We have strengths and gifts, but those strengths and gifts envelope our weaknesses. Yet and still, we teachers are here for them, in spite of their “entitled” thinking of what they think their education has been and should be about. I had to help them put what we attempt to do for them in perspective, so they wouldn’t continue to pound us into the ground.
I believe the media is doing exactly with our celebrities what my teenaged students are doing with their teachers – pounding our celebrities into the ground, further exacerbating the pain which they probably experience day to day. Over at South Side Star, the author of this blog in today’s post presents the possibility that Britney Spears may be experiencing some postpartum depression which may be fueling her behavior. In any event, it’s clear something is wrong. Nobody behaves so bizarrely without something being inherently wrong. But nobody is bothering to find out what it is. It’s more fun to poke fun at people’s misfortunes. As South Side Star so eloquently and truthfully states:
“Why does Western culture keep pushing its ‘virgin princesses’ over the edge — right into the volcano’s mouth? Or the arms of the beast? … Are we feeding the beasts, or the gods?
“Either way, they get swallowed whole. And we watch.”
A few of those same students to which I referred above said, “I don’t feel sorry for these celebrities who have all this money. They deserve what they get.” But I had to tell them we have no idea what kind of pain Britney or any other celebrity is going through. I believe very much of what celebrities do to get attention is a cry for help – they just may not necessarily know it. The loved ones of these celebrities need to love them enough to tell them the truth and get them the help they need before they go through the demise Anna Nicole Smith experienced.
Let’s stop feeding on the misfortunes of others just because they’re in the spotlight and really attempt to understand that we all experience heartaches, pain, and misfortune. Would we want people to pick, poke, prod, and shine a huge spotlight at us in our misery? Wouldn’t we want (at least maybe unconsciously) someone to pray for us and think well of us? Wouldn’t we want to know someone loves us and cares for us? While they may not know it, these celebrities need our prayers and well wishes. Let’s try to get off our own high horses and do it for them.
I stated in my post yesterday that my daughter was becoming more consistent in asking to use the potty. Yesterday after we arrived home, my husband was playing with her, bouncing her on his leg. After a minute or so, he felt a warm sensation through her pull-up on his thigh and said,
“Did you just pee on your daddy?”
She smiled at him and said,
“Yeah…”
So much for potty consistency…
This past Sunday morning as my daughter was finishing breakfast, she said, “I gotta go to the potty.” Success! She asked to go to the potty! I would so love to say that this is a regular occurrence. It’s not quite regular; nevertheless, the request is becoming more common. We’re making progress!
Yet, it’s not that she asked to go to the potty that I was so excited about (although I do make it a big deal to let her know that she did a good thing and she’s a big girl for doing so). It was what she said while she was sitting there on the pot. For no reason, she said,
“I LIKE MYSELF!”
As a Black woman, I thought it wonderful that my daughter said, “I like myself,” since many of our Black girls do not view themselves in a positive light. Kiri Davis, producer of Reel Works Teen Filmmaking, chronicled the attitudes of several young Black girls in her short film documentary entitled “A Girl Like Me.” Part of the film included a segment in which two dolls – one White and one Black – were presented before 21 Black girls and boys (it seemed the sample was mostly girls). When asked individually which doll each preferred, Ms. Davis recounts at the end of the segment that 15 out of the 21 Black children polled preferred the White doll over the Black doll. Generally speaking, the Black doll represented that which was undesirable, ugly, bad. It was heartbreaking for me to watch.
Nevertheless, this film is an incredibly important work for a number of reasons. As a mother, it is necessary for my daughter to know that skin color is not what makes a person good or bad. It is important for her to know that hair texture is not the measure of beauty. It is crucial for her to know that her identity is not tied up in her body type. As Darryl Owens of the Orlando Sentinel stated in his Jan. 27, 2007 column, “Black Children’s Self-Esteem Still Needs Some Work,”
“It is about helping black children — like the girl in Davis’ film, who hesitated before painfully picking the black doll as the one she resembled — feel good in their skin.”
Right now, my daughter feels good in her “skin.” I want her to always feel that way. And so my husband and I affirm her everyday. When I style her hair, I always tell her how gorgeous her hair is. When we look in the mirror, I tell her how beautiful her brown skin is. When I’m changing her out of those ridiculous pull-ups (which I pray we can get rid of by her birthday in May), I tell her what wonderful thighs she has (they are thick like mine, yet until I was a second-semester college freshman, I thought they were fat). And, of course, we tell her just overall what a superstar she is. Because if I ever decide I want to present that same “test” to her, I want her to make the “right” choice.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re Black or White or whatever color skin you have, please take a look at Ms. Davis’ award-winning film short. It’s only seven minutes long, and will be well worth your time, even if you’ve seen it before. As Ms. Davis says about making this film,
“I learned that giving the girls an opportunity to talk about these issues and their experiences helped us all to look deeper and examine the many things in society that affect us and shape who we are.”
Let us all get a little better educated about what affects and shapes us. Then let’s help to instill positive images into our children’s souls, no matter what color skin surrounds it.
Running Toward The Wild Woman – Pt. 2
We are continuing our quest of discovering who we truly are as women as we study Women Who Run with the Wolves
by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D. So far, our work has been preliminary, just trying to lay the groundwork for an intense work of the soul. Forgive me if you think we’re going a little slowly. This type of work, in my opinion, cannot be rushed, because I think so many times we want quick fixes for our pains, anxieties, restlessnesses, and emptiness, yet, it took awhile to arrive to where we are today. Or, maybe I’m just slow…
With that in mind, let’s complete our study of Chapter 1 – “The Howl: Resurrection of the Wild Woman.” In last week’s study, we discussed how we are entering into a miracle work of resurrection of the soul. Moreover, there are various ways we can enter into that miracle work – through prayer, meditation, journaling, dancing, creating music, or any number of creative and/or solitary activities. Hopefully, you had an opportunity to enter into the activity or activities which work well for you. Or, if you’re unsure of what works, try several of the activities Dr. Estes suggests in this chapter.
Nevertheless, Dr. Estes cautions us about how we enter in. If I may lend my interpretation of what she’s saying as she explains the story “The Four Rabbinim,” it seems she is saying this: approach your inner work reverently, knowing that the revelations you may receive will lead to different reactions in different people. Upon experiencing a great “a-ha” moment (many regard this as authentic religious experience), one can respond in one of the following ways:
- With too much fascination, where one will completely “overaestheticize” their “religious” experience
- With too little regard, where “some will undervalue” their experience
- With too much regard or emphasis, where one becomes obsessesed with what they experience
- Some not ready for the experience are injured by it
- With a healthy living out of what we experience; in other words, as Dr. Estes explains Carl Jung’s phraseology,
“Our work is to show we have been breathed upon – to show it, give it out, sing it out, to live out in the topside world what we have received through our sudden knowings, from body, from dreams and journeys of all sorts.”
Surely, since we now know in advance, let us have a healthy outlook about our work here. Let us not get so high and mighty in our “revelations,” shouting from the rooftops that what we’ve discovered is the answer for all. What works for you may not work for someone else. Provide your perspectives and leave room for the insights of others. Share with the understanding that you may be helping another in her journey without confining others to your way of apprehending the matter. And read other’s experiences with reverence. Understand that a major element of healing means we require a safe space to share. I intend to provide that here.
My hope is that we all would approach this study of ourselves with awe. Being a Christian, the awe that I feel comes from knowing that God created me with a purpose. He first created me in His image (this has nothing to do with gender – but everything to do with my role and calling as one who is to help care for the world in my own unique way). I then understand that He created me uniquely as a woman, and that as women, we’re equipped with gifts that men do not have. We are inherently nurturing, for example. Sometimes we live out of our emotions. And it’s all good.
But sometimes, what God created to be good becomes buried. And so, as Dr. Estes describes it, just as “Christ raised Lazarus, who had been dead so long he ‘stinketh’…our meditation practice as women [is] calling back the dead and dismembered aspects of life itself.” It is participating in the miracle of resurrection in which we regain that intuition we once had, that instinct upon which we could once rely. It is once again developing that discernment with which we were born. And the good news is that no matter what you’ve been through, how many times you’ve fallen and found yourself in a hole you’ve not found yourself able to dig out of, all of the wonderful aspects of who we are can be reclaimed. That is good news!
However, as Dr. Estes states, “Like the dry bones, we so often start out in a desert.” This desert is “the place of divine revelation.” It’s okay, then, if you feel empty, dried up, and dried out. Embrace the desert for now. It is the place from where much of our growth will come. Because “[l]ife in the desert is small but brilliant…very intense…but precious things…can come from [that desert life].”
The issue is now this: “Today the old one inside you is collecting bones. What is she remaking…for you?”
Next week, we’ll move on to discuss Chapter 2 – Stalking the Intruder: The Beginning Initiation.” This is a phenomenal chapter in which Dr. Estes examines the importance and meaning of “the predator” of our souls we may dream find ourselves dreaming about – and taking control of that which tries to squash who we are.
Have a great week! And run toward that Wild Woman inside!!!
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