December 13, 2014
A special and loving friend sent me a link to the poem below – From Blossoms. It created such a beautiful image for me related to how much we each carry inside ourselves given our life’s journey – Creativity, love, knowledge, passions, pain, joy, compassion, desires, and dreams – truly an orchard inside us that lends itself to give, to teach and to learn. The orchard inside each of us has grown from all of our experiences, failures and successes, hopes, reality and dreams. Its growth has endless potential, full of endless possibilities as long as we continue to plant our seeds of beautiful and honest intentions, and nurture our intentions through our actions, thoughts, and feelings every day!
From Blossoms
Li-Young Lee
Li-Young Lee, “From Blossoms” from Rose. Copyright © 1986 by Li-Young Lee. Reprinted with the permission of BOA Editions Ltd., www.boaeditions.org.
Dear Ivonna:
I saw your story on the Today show, and subsequently found your website. I’ve never done this before, but I wanted to reach out and thank you for your candor, your courage, and your incredible grace. Last year, in a freak accident, I broke my neck, and was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. My spine is repaired; my cancer is in a remissive state, but the scars from this event run deep. I’ve been a veritable prisoner of my fears, but watching you today… well. You give me hope. While my spine is not quite healed enough to sustain a jog, I certainly can walk, with the assistance of my trusty cane. I’ve tried, time and again, to move through my fear, only to fail, but no more. You have given me the gift of hope, and today, i will renew my commitment to life, to get out of my head, and away from my fears. As I find my way back to being whole, I will imagine you, by my side, head held high, and exuding strength and hope Thank you, Ivonna. You are the epitome of the word “inspiration.”