Thistle Farms
She quoted her book, Find Your Way Home: Words from the Street, Wisdom from the Heart:
The thistle blooms in streets and alleys where women walk and sleep.
We spend a lot of time considering the thistle --
it's rough exterior,
its soft and regal center,
and its capacity to break through concrete to blossom.
In a world that names weeds,
we taste the riches of thistles and savor their beauty.
We are thistle farmers.
The world is our farm, and we harvest where other people
do not want to travel.
I was going to attempt to describe Thistle Farms and Magdalene on my own, but I'm sure they say it much better:
Thistle Farms is a non-profit business run by women who have survived lives of violence, prostitution, and abuse. Thistle Farms products are hand-made by the very women they benefit. All proceeds go back into Thistle Farms and the residential program, Magdalene, where the women live in community for 2 years. Into every product goes the belief that love is the strongest force for change in the world.
Comments
The past year has been hard, my youngest child, daughter Shaula, died July 2008 ... the importance of the elusive wisdom to know the difference and be able to accept the things I couldn't change, would have made our relationship so much better in later years. Gone now is that chance. I miss her so.
Hopefully, we learn. Urge all to try to make each moment a masterpiece. After all, in our heart of hearts we probably would all prefer to be happy over always needing to be right.
Appreciate life. Choose NOT to take those you love, for granted. Life is short. Regrets are long.
Cheers!