“In my mother's time, [pain] was a secret burden, and women were admired for their ability to ignore, to be silent, to be selfless.... Now we can speak it, and that's true healing, not a problem--to admit there is some constant pain.” PainProgressWomen S Liberation Book:Heart Berries Source: Heart Berries
“Sometimes I know part of me is still a ghost, walking next to my mother, looking for something to make an offering to, holding her hand. Either this feeling means that part of me is dead, or that she's alive, somewhere inside of me.” MothersDeath Of A Loved OneFamily RelationshipsMothers And DaughtersMothers And Children Book:Heart Berries Source: Heart Berries
“I was not right to want to die. I didn't want to leave my family. I liked my mind and its potential. I knew the type of burden I was. I was like my mother.” SuicideMothers Book:Heart Berries Source: Heart Berries
“Romanticism requires bravery and risk.” RiskBraveryRomanticism Book:Heart Berries Source: Heart Berries
“I can hear my aunt's voice, telling me that if my security depends on a man's words or action, I've lost sight of my power.” PowerConfidence Book:Heart Berries Source: Heart Berries
“Today, in front of a slew of white authors, during a fellowship, with a drink in my hand, I said that I was untouchable. There was a gasp, and maybe it was a hundred years of work for my name to arrive here, where I can name my pain so well that people are afraid of the consequences and the power.” WritingWomen Of ColorNative American Writer Book:Heart Berries Source: Heart Berries
“Pain expanded my heart.” Abuse SurvivorsNative American LiteratureNative Memoir Book:Heart Berries Source: Heart Berries