A Firefly of Love

[The Stage is on Fire] is a page-turner in which, much like life, there are no easy answers and yet each step of the journey yields insight and hope. This work of heart must not be missed!

Melanie Faith

Creative Writing Teacher, Essayist & Poet.

Katie Steedly’s first-person piece [The Unspeakable Gift] is a riveting retelling of her participation in a National Institutes of Health study that aided her quest to come to grips with her life of living with a rare genetic disorder. Her writing is superb.

The Society of Professional Journalists

In recognition of receiving the Dateline Award for the Washingtonian Magazine essay, The Unspeakable Gift.

I thank you … It is the authenticity of your “class notes”; and it is the delicacy and skill with which you present the nuances of classroom life and the actuality of your students’ and fellow teachers’ lives.

Maxine Greene

Philosopher and Education Scholar

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Who knows that in the depth of the ravine of the mountain of my hidden heart a firefly of my love is aflame. Abutsu-Ni

There are a million names for the firefly of my love.

My love is called hope.

My hope rests gently in the arms of trust and faith. It forgives. It reaches out. It builds up. It holds Despair and Fear in her loving arms and soothes their worried souls. That is what Hope does. It is about morning and starting lines. It is about forward and optimism. It is about silver linings and still waters.

My love is called light.

My light shines. When my light shines I am unstoppable. When my light shines, I have the direction of the North Star and the clarity of a laser beam. When my light shines, I invite others to shine their lights and the whole world is brighter. All that light stamps out the darkness.

My love is called voice.

My voice comes from wisdom and standing on the shoulders of others. It comes from learning my song and singing everyday. It comes from listening. When I am too busy talking and singing my voice is little more than noise. It is vital – all our voices are vital – for they are unique and meant to move the world toward love.

My love is called mission.

My mission wakes me up in the morning. Sometimes with a gentle nudge. Sometimes with thunder and lightening. It hums. It roars. does not waiver even when my knees are wobbly. It simply persists. It is constant. I have known it my entire life. It does does not need validation or explanation or apology. It is the firmament on which I stand and the air I breathe.

My love is called desire.

My desire runs deep. It is longing and passion. It is whispers and secrets. It is abandon and small heart corners. It is edge and grasp. It is joy and play. It is hidden and fully known. That is the way of love, too.

https://kitt.global/july-18-a-firefly-of-love-mark-nepo-the-book-of-awakening/