Written after the 10/7/23 Hamas attack on Israel, and before Israel's response in Gaza.
I Am Here
This blog offers a personal glimpse into the heart and mind of Diana (Dhyana) Daffner, leader of Intimacy Retreats, Couple's Coach, flutist, writer and artist. Into-Me-See = Intimacy, a state of being seen, being connected. I see you, you see me. Together, in this moment, we recognize our connection with each other and All That Is.
Written after the 10/7/23 Hamas attack on Israel, and before Israel's response in Gaza.
I Am Here
I recently attended a wonderful Authentic Voice workshop with Stephanie Heidemann. At one point, she invited us to let our voices express the differing elements of earth, air, fire and water.
Eulogy
I can't believe she's gone. My Aunt Addie was the most vibrant, alive woman. She was always there. The best of aunts. She was family.. MY family.. we were so close... She would tell me stories of my childhood that I had no memory of. But I always remembered the feeling of closeness. She was always there.
And I do have many memories of our times together... One in particular stands out. When I was in my 30s, she was in her 40s and my mom was in her 50s, we took a trip together. The 3 of us. We roamed through Northern California to Nevada.. Away from Albany and their husbands, my mom and Addie let their hair down and revealed their wild side.
What a wonderful time we had. Addie definitely knew how to have a good time.
People have often commented that I look like Addie. We both loved that! Sometimes she felt like an older sister to me.
Other memories are of Addie at her 80th birthday party, and at my mom's 90th. And being with Addie at Uncle Bill's funeral. . And also, tragically, at Mason's. I'm so very sorry to not be here today, to stand by my Myers cousins as they lay their mother to rest. Dean, EJay, Michael... thanks for sharing your mom with all of us.
Addie was to come to Florida, this month, for my mom's 94th birthday. We were all looking forward to that. I can't believe she's gone.
I always had great admiration for my Aunt Addie, for the way she lived her life, both as a married woman and, in these last years, on her own.
Her legacy, the values she leaves behind, include strength - the willingness to do what needs doing... and curiosity - a lifelong interest in learning, educating herself, expanding her knowledge and awareness. Addie knew how to grasp the pleasure in life, even when it's not so obvious.
What I'd really like to say about Addie, is what I saw on a t-shirt offered for sale online: "My Aunt was freakin cool."
She will be greatly missed.
~ Diana
(Read for me by my brother, at Addie’s memorial service.)
Well. It's February now. Winter snow blankets much of our country. Here in Florida, the weather has been fabulous. I began taking daily walks a few weeks ago. I discovered that TREES have unique energies and seem to reach out to me in positive ways. So I began to draw them...
In 1968, while a senior at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, I travelled to New Hampshire to campaign for Eugene McCarthy in that state's Democratic Primary. McCarthy was an anti-Vietnam War candidate and had captured the attention of those of us in "the movement."
To my great surprise, I have just come across a mention of my being there. (My name was Diane Weinberg back then. I took Daffner when I married Richard, and changed to Diana at that time!)
I don't remember this specific incident, although it has started to tickle the edge of my memories. What I DO remember is going door-to-door in very cold New Hampshire weather. (In this recent election, 2020, I campaigned by phone from home. More comfortable but fewer interactions.)
The article, written by J. Hayden Lynford, was about the Democratic Convention, and was published in 1968. In this excerpt, the author is writing about Theodore White and recalling his being at the New Hampshire primary earlier that year.
BIG BIG News. Richard & I are taking a break from leading workshops. There will be only THREE MORE Intimacy Retreats (on Zoom). We're also preparing a video program so couples can create their own private retreat, with our program, in their home or a resort location. Exciting times! See www.IntimacyRetreats.com/3more