Our humanity is indelibly linked to our treatment of one another. Humane treatment grows humanity. Inhumane treatment destroys humanity. At its roots, humanity is an elegantly simple equation - input equals output.

Healing is not a straight and narrow road
that leads from darkness to light.
There's no sudden epiphany to take
us from despair to serenity, no orchestrated
steps to move us from hurting to healed.
Healing is a winding mountain road with steep
climbs and sudden descents, breathtaking views
and breath-stealing drop-offs, dark tunnels
and blinding exposures, dead ends and
endless backtracks, rest stops and break downs,
sheer rock walls and panoramic vistas.
Healing is a journey with no destination,
because healing is the journey of every lifetime.

The Dream I Dream For You, My Child
...
I hope you search for four-leaf clovers,
grin back at Cheshire moons,
breathe in the springtime breezes,
and dance with summer loons.
I hope you gaze in wide-eyed wonder
at the buzzing firefly
and rest beneath the sunlit trees
as butterflies fly by.
I hope you gather simple treasures
of pebbles, twigs, and leaves
and marvel at the fragile web
the tiny spider weaves.
I hope you read poetry and fairy tales
and sing silly, made-up songs,
and pretend to be a superhero
righting this world's wrongs.
I hope your days are filled with magic
and your nights with happy dreams,
and you grow up knowing that happiness
is found in simple things.
The dream I dream for you, my child,
as you discover, learn, and grow,
is that you find these simple joys
wherever in life you go.