misc. quotes

You're not like us. You're different. Your way is wrong. Only our way is right. You deserve to be tortured with glee, suffer untold agonies forever, and remain ever forsaken. And I say this with love. We are a peaceful and loving people. ENOUGH. My head will explode with the enormity of the sanctimonious, self-righteous hypocrisies of our species. How many times I want to resign from this species!

Those drops of waters in all the oceans could have been dropped from my tears. The eruptions of all volcanoes could have come from my exasperation with it all. How hard is it to understand anyway that another life is life just as our own? How hard to accept another human is as human as we are? How difficult is it to grasp that understanding one another might take time and effort but is worth every bit of it? Peace is not gained thru war. Love is not shown thru hatred. Good grief! ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

It is important for us to remember that spitefulness and jealousy are poisonous roots to harbor in our hearts and minds. Other roots lending toward speaking badly about another in his/her absence (or even presence) are bitterness, feelings of inferiority or superiority, hatreds, fears, and other very human weaknesses. Therefore, it is imperative we look first to our own hearts and minds to cleanse ourselves because whatever we dwell on in our mind or heart will overflow into our speech and actions. Once a word is uttered or a deed done, it cannot be undone, and much damage can and usually does occur.. both to the victim of the back-biting and the hearers but even more so to the one who back-bites. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

As the autumnal equinox is about to come & the fall season officially begins, I think of what I love so much about the season to come. Cornstalks, pumpkins, apples, and a whole cornucopia of harvest comes in. I remember putting food by with mom, grandmothers, and older aunties, loving the process a much as the nip in the air. Seeing the fall colors everywhere as whole hillsides turned into magical, colorful carpets. The darker days, the chillier times with snow not so far away, the many seasonal shows from Charlie Brown to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, holidays full of fun and surprises, and seeing people again that had been missing perhaps for a year or months. Each day brings more bundling up and cuddling up, perfect for storytelling or bonfires and also for my now aging lungs, easier breathing in some ways. Come, dark, colder season. Who will give birth to the baby who will play the Christ child in the pageants? Who will dress up as a scary monster on Halloween then dress as Santa for Yule? I await my dance with the holly king and maybe a sip of wassail this year. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

The leaves turned, twisting in colors glorious. Seeds fell to be covered thru the coming winter to show up as seedlings in spring. But for now, I dance in the colding air, nose nipped with frosts, freezes now & then but coming more often. Rain dancing with me among the many colored fall hills where the crows caw homecoming time. The pumpkin is huge but sometimes dances too. We dance harvest home. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

Screams loud but loud still the black & blue marks on her face, her body. Anger even fades from eyes. A hopelessness of living though dead comes instead. It's that stillness of no more tears. A terrible storm brews so deep beneath the surface only one truly knowing this territory would see it. But, it is there. A horrible vengeance of wrath if not healed. A horrible wrath of vengeance despite healing. The damage goes beyond life deep. An unbroken chain of lifetimes of terror in flesh. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

The cold rain mixes with snow & sleet in a slow steady drizzle with the occasional gust that promises more to come. Earthquakes nearby a few days earlier forebode the coming of stronger elements to come as mother earth shakes herself, attempting to re-stabilize & re-balance. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

The winds, the winds, the winds, blowing as if imported from a typhoon with a tropical monsoon along for the ride. Surf's up! What? But these are the mountains, hundreds of miles from the nearest seaside. We'll be ok if the power holds. Then the ice came with snow. OK, now this is more like what we usually deal with... if only the power holds. It used to be even the power was not all that big a deal to getting by ok. That was before getting too old, too unhealthy, or needing critical care. But, my! It is a pretty sight as long as everyone is ok... or as ok as possible under the circumstances. And, if the power holds. It snows, snows, some windy snow here and there, but mostly snow. Good curl up with a book & a dog weather now. Or sleep. Or both. Snowing. Snowing. Power please hold. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

Sparrows flying to the window during a calmer time in the wind & snow, seeking to build winter shelter with me, decide it is not enough protection. Off they go to the eaves to inspect accommodations there. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

Most of us are intolerant (bigots) in some or many ways, unwilling & even defiantly opposed to learning about "the other" - even among those of us committed to learning to live peacefully & compassionately. Hate seems so easy, inbred. To check ourselves out, think of what we consider immoral then ask if we would tolerate this in our neighbor or our grown children if all else is reasonably responsible? Would the addition to the neighborhood of our place of worship or of our favorite place for hanging out of a group we pretend to tolerate cause us pain or anger? Do we ask for others to not judge us but to understand & be tolerant while we are unwilling to extend that same measure elsewhere? If we cannot answer with graciousness, patience, & wanting to understand more, then we have learned of places still needing our work within ourselves before allowing ourselves even to begin to consider to judge "the other." ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

Thoughts running too rapidly to follow, too alert, strained, must need to understand, to find a way. Searching, searching, sifting, re-thinking, trying to find all the pieces to this puzzle. Remembering each word, each movement, each tone, everything. Wanting desperately to know enough in time to make the right decision, & time is drawing near. So... Sleep. Go play & be silly. Let this puzzle percolate a bit inside. The way will become clear. Relax. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

When asked by a young person what was the best way to get guys' attention, I said "it helps to be breathing." It was not what she wanted, I think. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

Fog envelops the mountain, making the trees look like cast members in a romantic, mysterious play that draws my dreaming soul to wander away from overwhelming troubles for awhile to let the calm of the forest soothe my battered places & strengthen my resources to do whatever I must do. Deep breath. Set my face forward. Dry my tears despite all. Chin up. Forward unto whatever is calling me now. Because of the mountain, I can & will go on with a smile, then a laugh, & then a song with a dance... even if it is only in my heart & soul. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

Patient waiting while doing all that is known to be done for now, keeping strength girdled round about me to freeze into the holding formation needed, freezing out panic even as more piles on me, I wait hopefully, expectantly. Told I'm in denial too many times to count. Told I need to give up even more often. Told I do not count, so don't get my hopes up. Yeah. Whatever. I wait. Weary sometimes. I wait. I know nothing lasts forever in my life. I also  know winter does come to an end. Crocuses do pop up thru the ice & snow. I wait. I sense crocus blooms in my future still. These are worth waiting for, I am convinced. I smile, & I wait. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

The touch of fog lingers lazily in the tops of the trees on the mountain this morning as the cold seeps into the earth despite a bit of warming expected later today. Winter comes. I'm ready to hibernate, to hide, to rest, to heal, to sleep, but not sure if these will be allowed. Winter travel or work is just as dangerous as summer travel or work. But, if I must, then a frozen me will do what I must. Besides, I look good in icy colors with a touch of holly in my hair. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

None of us. No, not one of us. None means none. None of us has all the answers to much of anything. It is arrogance at its haughty-ist, supremacist, most bigoted worst to think any one of us is better than or has the only answer over any other of us. As long as any of us believe this way, none of us are safe. All must be prepared to protect ourselves & our loved ones from enemies within ourselves and from those around us. To change the world, to have real peace for ALL... we must face ourselves & change our own hearts, minds, & actions. All of us. Until then, let's all keep working toward a more peaceful & compassionate world. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

Receiving loving touches of so many kinds from you all & from ... oh my! from everywhere! ... has given me strength to keep breathing & imp-ing until now. I have no doubt this love will give the thermals beneath my wings to fly forever. AND, I want to take you with me. Love would be lacking & incomplete without you. Let's fly together please. Dance on the wind. Love forever. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

A misty, cool day brings out the romantic dreamer in me. Today is such a day, & I dream of you, my beloved. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

I have had a type of solitary confinement for so many years that it has become my normal home base. Solitude & quiet have given me treasures I doubt I could have any other way. It truly is all about attitude & the use of creative imagination. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

It is very important to make sure we keep ourselves honest with ourselves so that we do not just hear the things that comfort & validate our opinions only. We need a wide variety of sources to listen to & the courage to ask intelligent, good questions of each & every one. Check. Reference. Think. Ask more questions. Keep learning. Keep stretching. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

The cold nipped me as I sat enjoying the chilled scene freshly dusted in lacy white. The dark bark of the trees, darker than in their leaved days, interlaced branches, holding hands as an arch in the sky. In my heart I just knew as long as the trees were there, my world was going to be fine no matter what came. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

The children scream, shaking, even though the siege is all they've ever known, cruelty a fact of daily life, want, hunger, more sleepless nights to the demonic music of bombs. Moments of joy stolen here & there in between losing a friend, a mother, your limbs. Survival? Comforting with assurances of afterlife. But nobody really knows. But please do not take that hope away from trapped people unless you can offer better. End the war. Living as humans together cannot be that difficult if we all try, surely! Another bomb. No one wants to try. Bomb away. Bomb us all. Bomb until nothing at all is left. Then? Then what? Then WHAT? Bomb away. It does not matter. We only lose something priceless. No biggie, right? ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

Being so deeply blessed beyond comprehension, it is hard to believe anymore the cacophony telling me I am ugly, worthless, & to be eradicated from the face of the earth because of my looks, my size, or my gender. How can real breath be anything but beautiful? My beauty is part of the whole starry sky and mossy earth. ~ Daphne Yvonne  Bradshaw

Rarely do we even think about much less make the effort to listen to our self-talk that goes on well beneath the surface of our thoughts, but it there directing us all the time. It is hard work to change root things in our life, but it is impossible to change what we do not see, will not name, cannot own as a part of ourselves, and do not believe as important. But, the effort is vital to our living authentic lives. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

Warmer but chilly day for late November has all the forest critters quickly gathering last minute needs for the coming winter while I smile before the open window watching, listening, wondering if a true winter is coming this year. It is hard to tell anymore. Everything changes more than usual. But still, life goes on on the mountain with that certain mountaineer attitude. Mountain right. Here we stand or sit. We are the mountain. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw