Saturday, November 4, 2023

I Am Here - written 10/12/2023

I Am Here  

I am here.
In Hebrew, "Hineni."
This is what Moses said, when God called to him from a burning bush.

I am here. Hineni.
My heart, my body, my soul 
are here, present, focusing  attention
on the sacredness of this present moment.

I. Am. Here. Grounded in the center of my being.

And yet, I am not here.
I am 6,000 miles away.
I am in Israel, I am in Gaza.

I am in the hearts of those who have lost loved ones in heinous ways.
I am in the hearts of those who fear they will soon lose loved ones.

I wish.
I wish I could enter the hearts
of those who hate and kill.
I wish I could open their hearts 
to my Presence. 
To the Presence of All Life.

Hineni.
I am there, joining hearts with those who continue to reach for Peace in the midst of so much anger and righteousness, generations of anger and righteousness.

Hearts hardened in a history of wronging and being wronged. Hearts hardened as they perpetuate more wrong-doing.

Hineni. I am there.

The world teeters, unsure of finding balance in the madness of religion and the might of power.

Hineni. I am Here.

I am here
with Mahatma Ghandi
whose plea to embrace religious tolerance even India has forgotten.

I am there
6,000 miles away
where families pray and so-called leaders and zealots prey upon each other.

Hineni.
I am here.
My heart beats with yours,
whether you feel it or not.

Even if yours has been hardened.

I wish 
I could wave a heart flag
and end all war.

Hineni.
I am here, with my own, still living breath.

I am here. I grieve with you as the breath of your loved ones expire.

Hineni. I surrender to inner peace even as horror surrounds me. 
Even as helplessness threatens to suffocate me.

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Reach Out to Re-Connect!

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.

That reminded me of Orton Graves, a drummer with whom I played flute 30 years ago.

Days after we had met and briefly played together at a party, smeone asked me to play for her chakra workshop. She wanted a flute and a drum. (This was long before drum circles!) I called Orton, not knowing if he was familiar with chakras (he was). I said, "She wants us to play something different for each of the chakra colors, is that something you could do?" He said, "Sure, yes. In fact, I was just playing purple!"

Wow, was I excited! We continued to play together. Once, we recorded ourselves playing the seasons! Another time, we played on stage for an AIDS benefit. For that, we played the life cycle, birth to death. Somehow we were able to communicate, flute & drum, so that our music flowed and expressed whatever theme we chose.

Orton drummed for dance classes, and he taught drumming. He invited me to play with his class. I suggested, and he used, the name "Wild Palms: A Florida Percussion Group" when we performed.

It has been many years since we'd been in touch. I was looking forward to calling him and reminiscing. I just discovered it's too late. 

When you think of someone, let them know. Don't postpone reaching out to reconnect. 

R.I.P. Orton. May the music of your soul bring joy wherever you are.



Sunday, March 6, 2022

Words Arising, Reaching Out

 
Words
arise
from within,
seeking release,
reaching out,
touching
you.
poem 3/2022. art 4/2021. 

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Remembering Aunt Addie


Remembering my aunt who passed on six years ago today. This was my eulogy for her.

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. 


O​ther ​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 ​al​so​,​ 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.)

Monday, February 8, 2021

2021 - so far

 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...






Wednesday, November 4, 2020

1968 - Memories?

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.




The recent release on Netflix of Alan Sorkin's film, the Trial of the Chicago 7, has gotten me thinking about those times. I plan to also watch (haven't yet) an earlier film about that trial, probably less slick but even more accurate, the docudrama Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 by Jeremy Kagan.

I also recently enjoyed watching The Boys Who Said NO!, a film about the Vietnam war and the draft resistance. I knew several of them. 


For info about the Democratic Party Primaries in 1968, see Wikipedia

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Three More!!

 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