“Donne à ton enfant des ailes, mais n’oublie pas de lui donner des racines”
I came across this saying today “give your child wings but don’t forget to give it roots”. What a wise thing to say. My parents told me that they would support me in whatever I wanted to do, even if they didn’t always agree with it. Thus they gave me my freedom but it was still attached by an umbilical cord and thus the roots in my family went ever deeper. However, this freedom didn’t always manifest itself in my adult life in relationships with other people. Faucon told me to think of myself as an owl that has never been allowed to fly.
As I write this I can hear a blackbird singing its head off outside my window and am reminded of the song by the Beatles of the same name:
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arrive
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.
Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of a dark black night.
Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of a dark black night.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
My heart bag is therefore covered with some of the feathers I have collected over the years – gifts from above, I call them.
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4 comments
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June 29, 2006 at 6:41 am
Heather Blakey
This really is very lovely Carol. I went all misty eyed at the image of your bag covered with feathers but we all know I am a sucker for large black birds.
June 30, 2006 at 1:23 am
cronelogical
images, rhythm, all in tune, a beautiful piece, Carol
June 30, 2006 at 6:17 pm
porchsitter
Wings and roots–how true! Lovely, Carol.
We are never to old to learn or relearn (perhaps daily?) to fly.
According to FlyLady, it means “Finally Love Yourself.”
If you search around the Abbey you will find some of Tookey’s green feathers, as well, or ask her for one when you see her, she still lives here. Feel free to add them to your heart bag.
October 26, 2006 at 5:11 pm
Soulwright
Roots and wings… reminds me of CPE…
“Whenever you raise a child.”
Whenever you raise a child
leave the hairy roots on,
the dying leaves
under the new leaves,
the dirt clogs swaying behind,
so they have something
to sashay with
in life,
something to remind them
they are made from dust
of earth
and the dust
of the stars,
something to point them
toward home…
Clarissa Pinkola Estes