Ecomapping...

photo by grassrootsmsw
NYC, 1992

"Making mental connections is our
most critical learning tool, the essence
of human intelligence: to forge links;
to go beyond the given; to see
patterns, relationship, context."

Marilyn Ferguson

Opening the lens...

photo by D. L.
Kenya, Africa

"A Senegalese poet said 'In the end we will conserve only what we love. We love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.' We must learn about other cultures in order to understand, in order to love, and in order to preserve our common world heritage."

–Yo Yo Ma, White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy-

As health care practitioners, as caregivers, as human beings, it is our responsibility and our greatest privilege to embrace the concept of 'multiculturalism.'

This is a process, overlapping and occurring over time, where we open ourselves to recognizing, understanding, and appreciating differences and similarities in the various cultures we experience and encounter. It is a process ultimately creating transformation and openness to a broader way of living, thinking, and behaving.

There is a rich, varied, and beautiful world beyond what is 'known' to us...waiting to enrich and expand life possibilities and truths...

-grassrootsmsw-

Fluidity

photo by grassrootsmsw

“Like a graceful vase, a cat, even when motionless, seems to flow.”

George F. Will

Quentin

photo by grassrootsmsw

"There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat."
Tay Hohoff

Belief in the unknown...

photo by grassrootsmsw

“During periods of discontinuous, abrupt change, the essence of adaptation involves a keen sensitivity to what should be abandoned - not what should be changed or introduced. A willingness to depart from the familiar has distinct survival value.”

Peter F. Drucker

The Precision of Clarity

photo by D.B.L.
Africa

Andrea Ayvazian:

A reporter interviewing A.J. Muste, who during the Vietnam War stood in front of the White House night after night with a candle…one rainy night asked,"Mr. Muste, do you really think you are going to change the policies of this country by standing out here alone at night with a candle?" Muste replied, "Oh, I don't do it to change the country, I do it so the country won't change me.”

Reap and harvest

photo by grassrootsmsw

“By choosing your thoughts,
and by selecting which emotional currents you will release
and which you will reinforce,
you determine the quality of your Light.
You determine the effects that you will have upon others,
and the nature of the
experiences of your life.”

Gary Zukav

Own this...breathe it in...
honor the internal stirrings and hold this integrity
to your best and truest ability...

Intent and Labor

photo by grassrootsmsw

“It is possible I am pushing

through solid rock,

like the vein of ore

encased, alone.



I am such a long way in

I can see no way through and no space.

Everything is close to my face

and everything close to my face is stone.



I don't have much knowledge yet in grief,

so this darkness makes me feel small.

You, be the Master;

Make yourself fierce; break in.

And then your great transforming will happen to me

And my great grief cry will happen to you.”

Ranier Maria Rilke

Traversing bridges and paths...

photo by grassrootsmsw
Rome, GA

“We deny that we're tired, we deny that we're scared, we deny how badly we want to succeed. And most importantly, we deny that we're in denial. We only see what we want to see and believe what we want to believe, and it works. We lie to ourselves so much that after a while the lies start to seem like the truth. We deny so much that we can't recognize the truth right in front of our faces.

At the end of the day, there are some things you just can't help but talk about. Some things we just don't want to hear, and some things we say because we can't be silent any longer. Some things are more than what you say, they're what you do. Some things you say ‘cause there's no other choice. Some things you keep to yourself. And not too often, but every now and then, some things simply speak for themselves.

Sometimes reality has a way of sneaking up and biting us in the ass. And when the dam bursts, all you can do is swim. The world of pretend is a cage, not a cocoon. We can only lie to ourselves for so long. We are tired, we are scared, denying it doesn't change the truth. Sooner or later we have to put aside our denial and face the world… Head on, guns blazing. De Nile. It's not just a river in Egypt, it's a freakin' ocean. So how do you keep from drowning in it?”

Grey’s Anatomy

Rooting...

photo by grassrootsmsw

“And everything I know just fades away…
And where the wildflower grows it picks its space…
And that's the way it is when nature plays its lovely hand.”

Sheryl Crow

Having to trust where the seeds have fallen...
waiting for them to take root...
a tender, fragile, and vulnerable time.

Time to be brave,
and recognize that clenched fists won't help
or allow a process to unfold.

Time for letting go
and trusting
that the seeds will produce
strong and enduring roots.

-grassrootsmsw-

Principles and Duties

photo by grassrootsmsw

“Ethics cannot be based upon our obligations toward [people], but they are complete and natural only when we feel this Reverence for Life and the desire to have compassion for and to help all creatures insofar as it is in our power. I think that this ethic will become more and more recognized because of its great naturalness and because it is the foundation of a true humanism toward which we must strive if our culture is to become truly ethical.”

Albert Schweitzer

Play it out...

photo by A. Krynen

“You're alive. Do something. The directive in life, the moral imperative is so uncomplicated. It could be expressed in single words, not complete sentences. It sounds like this:

Look. Listen. Choose. Act.”

Barbara Hall

Holding Fragility with Strength

photo by grassrootsmsw
Central Park, NYC

“It's not a day on the calendar. Not a birthday, not a new year. It's an event, big or small, something that changes us. Ideally, it gives us hope. A new way of living and looking at the world. Letting go of old habits, old memories . . . What's important is that we never stop believing we can have a new beginning. But it's also important to remember that amid all the crap . . . there are a few things worth holding on to.”

Grey’s Anatomy

Choosing Ambiguity...

photo by E. Fabery de Jonge
Kauai, HI

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, or end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.”

Gilda Radner

Pet Bereavement

Image by Seltzer LLC
"Pet door"

For M and M:

Thinking of you both and believing Henry has found his door and is ruling his new kingdom...

Madison probably has a slightly larger door, but will be more than pleased to let Henry rule him upon entering!

The Boys...

November 8th

Happy Appletinis my dear ones!
Imagining you both toasting together...
with, Roxie, of coarse...

In Honor of "Mad Man" 2/12/95-11/7/07

Madison's first snow
NYC 1995

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true,
to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
Author-Unknown

For the last 12 and a half years I have lived in many places without established roots, but there was always a sense of “home” because my dear Madison was with me…it was his love and devotion which defined “home” wherever we were together.

There is an indescribable bond that was gifted to both of us from the moment we first met. It was and is untainted, pure, and unconditional.

As a young pup he looked to me for permission to frolic with his canine buddies, and usually ran back between my legs for protection when it was more than he could handle. It was his joyous innocent exuberance, upon experiencing his first snow fall, which stays with me…He rolled back and forth and dipped his nose into the deep delicious 4 inches of white powder, and begged me with his eyes to join him. It was with ease and pleasure that I joined in his wonderment and fun.

Without words, just a look, we know what the other needs. Mostly, we have just looked to one another for companionship and a warm body to lean against. Being a golden retriever, Madison would always be blatantly open in showing me his desire for dog treats…which was most of his waking hours.

While I knew that one day I would have to say good bye to him, I never imagined how that would look and it was easy to push that dreaded thought away. Last night, after a painful and lengthy seizure, Madison looked at me and I saw what I didn’t want to see, but what I knew I had to honor and acknowledge.

He has been my silent protector and guardian for 12 and half years, and now it is my turn to be his.

Moral Solidarity

photo by grassrootsmsw

"There is no profit in curing the body,

if in the process,

we destroy the soul."

City of Hope
Duarte, CA

There are so many fine lines for health care professionals...
We make the commitment to cure and heal, while also making an oath to honor patient self determination and choice.

Above all else, it is our responsibility to remember that we are face to face with human beings who have stories and histories, that define them...long before we have arrived. Every line and mark on their face holds who they are and where they have been. We have a RESPONSIBILITY to recognize and acknowledge this...this is their story, not ours...despite all the knowledge, beliefs, or skills we have to offer. This is about honoring and placing patient and family experiences at the core of our work.

Ann Hartman, LCSW, and Dean of Smith School of Social Work, insightfully stated:

"Because many of our patients and families are powerless and oppressed, their knowledge has been subjugated, and their insights have been excluded from the discourse by those who are empowered to define the 'truth.' We must bring forth their wisdom, their lived experience, and their visions of the world."

THEIR truth...not ours.

Here is a moral obligation, and in a powerful yet soothing way, it is an opening for a creation of human solidarity.

-grassrootsmsw-

Hidden edges...

photo by grassrootsmsw

“Honor uncertainty. It's the seed from which all-knowingness comes…

Give it time.”

Mike Dooley

The Walk of Pandemonium

photo by grassrootsmsw
Stanford University

“I have a great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift.”

Septima Poinsette Clark

The process of change
in the midst of death and life...
balancing and maneuvering
through sharp twists and turns;
not knowing how or when
the process will end or unfold.

Patience,
intuition,
trust,
belief,
and stamina
keep us moving forwards.

The determination
to stay true to the course
and make a positive difference
rumbles and stirs within us.

Despite a bureaucracy,
which often alienates
and removes itself
from the original 'human factor'
in it's goals and purposes.

We have not yet integrated
the old way of thinking with the new...
This is a significant juncture,
asking for our creativity and strength.


Let's allow the rumbles inside
to be silent "roars" of purpose...
keeping us steady and strong
on our path to change.

-grassrootsmsw-