some more art therapy

The prompt at Creative Therapy last week was to
tell about a painful memory. You would think that in the
midst of mourning a death, that THAT would be it.

But you know, people die. We're all going to. It's what's
supposed to happen. It's when we do things we are NOT
supposed to do that things get ugly.

There's a folk tale, and it goes something like this:
There was a young woman traveling through
the woods, and as she was wading into the
river to swim across, a snake approached
her and asked to ride upon her shoulders
to the other side.

"No way! I know what you are--you will
bite me and I will die!"

"Now why would I do such a thing to you?
You've done me no harm, and if you give
me a ride across the river, you will have
done me a great service, and I will be a
friend to you and your family forever!"

So, despite her initial fears, and the
chittered warnings of the forest animals
around, her, the woman gave the snake a
ride across the river upon her shoulders.

As she reached the other side, the snake
bit her, and as she was dying, she asked
it "Why??"

The snake answered,
"You knew what I was. You knew my nature.
Don't act all surprised now."

The gem in the corner stands for all the good that
came from the bad--like, now I listen when that
little voice inside says "something isn't right,"
when my husband says, "something isn't right, and
when other people say, "something isn't right!"

Also, after you've been through something really
nasty, it should make you truly appreciate
every kindness, no matter how small--every smile,
every nice comment, even basic common courtesy--
wow, I honestly feel them all the way down to the
bottom of my toes! :)