Darkness

Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing
with the darkness of other people. ~Carl Jung

This quote is part of the motivation for finishing my multicultural paper. taking the look inside, seeing the darkness for what it is, in order to also be able to "deal" with others' darkness.

the movie that strikes me as showing this, Dead Man Walking, about Sister Prejean. that lady was not afraid to stand in dark places. she was so full of understanding and love. wow. yeah, wow. she is like a Jesus example of how to "deal" with other people. so strong, so loving. full of compassion and forgiveness. strength and truth too.

I'm dealing with some of my own darkness. control. fear. prejudice. stereotypes. wow.

i have so far to go.
i have come so far, and so far still to go.

in other news:
-i signed up to receive health insurance today! finally! this is a celebration!
-i took and passed the class and test to become a certified Washington State Food Handler today. the card is small, and seems a little pointless. but it keeps my job. and the over serious lady who teaches the class is WORSE than the ACT crew. she yelled at people coming in late. she scolded someone for having their cell phone on. closed a door on someone. then at the end, busted 4 young women for talking/cheating. Phew! glad i got in and out without much fuss. and the main thing i learned: WASH YOUR HANDS. this was worth the $10.
-Seattle has been beautiful lately. warm and beautiful.
-i have "lost" another compassion kid. Christian has been removed from the program in Bolivia, and that's all they will tell me. i hope that all is well. he's gonna be 9 in a couple of weeks. this has now happened, what....? at least 4 times to me. i can hardly believe that some sponsors actually get to watch their child grow up. i keep losing mine. in the midst of everything else in my life that i never seem to let stay the same, it's too much change.
-i got to celebrate with a friend this week who is doing amazing work in reconnecting with her family after a long break. she has labored long and hard, and i have been able to walk with her. i love walking with people in these places.
-the rose bush that i pruned in the fall is beautiful. oh the pruning. never easy to do, never something the plants complain about, but wise and worth it.