A respected matriarch of the community calls the children to her and tells them stories of their mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers. Her stories fill them with confidence in themselves and pride in their families. She builds a bridge between their present and their past that supports them as they approach a world filled with turbulent seas. She concludes each story with… “And that’s the true story!”

Lo, how a Rose e’vr blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
(From a 15^th century German hymn
“Es Ist Ein Ros”)

Honorable Mention Award at San Diego County Fair 2006 International Fine Art Show

I Promise, my little one
Momma will
…love you
…clothe you
…feed you
…take care of you

I Promise, my dear
Momma will
…play with you
…laugh with you
…cry with you
…pray for you

I Promise, my love
Momma will
…encourage you
…teach you
…discipline you
…protect you

I Promise     I Promise     I Promise
Oh! If we would/could keep all our promises

Beginning to explore,
Touching all that is in reach,
Smelling, tasting, and
Turning toward each new sound
With wide-eyed excitement.

“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”  Matthew 22:39

“This above all, to thine ownself be true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not be false to any man.” William Shakespeare

To give LOVE, begin by loving yourself.

Set the goal
… I want to do it
… I can do it
… I will do it
Stretch
… Reach
… Pull
… Extend
Out of my awe at the things that humans can and do achieve—comes Pinnacle