That was a good one Missi ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2001 1:59 PM Subject: [FOLKLORE FAMILY] Courage of the Heart > > Courage of the Heart > By Patty Hansen > > I sit on the rickety auditorium chair with the > camcorder on my shoulder and I can feel the tears well up > in my eyes. My six-year-old daughter is on stage, calm, > self-possessed, centered and singing her heart out. I am > nervous, jittery and emotional. I try not to cry. > "Listen, can you hear the sound, hearts beating all > the world around?" she sings. > Her little round face turns up to the light, a little > face so dear and familiar and yet so unlike my own thin > features. Her eyes - eyes so different from mine - look > out into the audience with total trust. She knows she is > loved. > "Up in the valley, out on the plains, everywhere > around the world, heartbeats sound the same." > The face of her birth mother looks out at me from the > stage. The eyes of a young woman that once looked into > mine with trust now gaze into the audience. These features > my daughter inherited from her birth mother - eyes that > tilt up at the corners, and rosy, plump little cheeks that > I can't stop kissing. > "Black or white, red or tan, it's the heart of the > family of man...oh, oh beating away, oh, oh beating away," > she finishes. > The audience goes wild. I do, too. Thunderous > applause fills the room. We rise as one to let Melanie > know we loved it. She smiles; she already knew. Now I am > crying. I feel so blessed to be her mom. She fills me > with so much joy that my heart actually hurts. > The heart of the family of man...the heart of courage > that shows us the path to take when we are lost...the heart > that makes strangers one with each other for a common > purpose: this is the heart Melanie's birth mother showed to > me. From deep inside the safest part of herself, Melanie > heard her birth mother. This heart of courage belonged to > a 16-year-old girl, a girl who became a woman because of > her commitment to unconditional love. She was a women who > embraced the concept that she could give her child > something no one else ever could: a better life than she > had. > Melanie's heart beats close to mine as I hold her and > tell her how great she performed. She wiggles in my arms > and looks up at me. "Why are you crying, Mommy?" > I answer her, "Because I am so happy for you and you > did so well, all by yourself!" I can feel myself reach out > and hold her with more than just my arms. I hold her with > love for not only myself, but for the beautiful and > courageous woman who chose to give birth to my daughter, > and then chose again to give her to me. I carry the love > from both of us...the birth mother with the courage to > share, and the woman whose empty arms were filled with > love...'for the heartbeat that we share is one.' > > > > > > «:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«^i^MISSI ^i^«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« > Richiele Marie [email protected] (Missi) > I disbelieved in reincarnation in my last life, too. > > »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== FOLKLORE Mailing List ==== > "Folklore Family" Listresses > Missi [email protected] & Kath [email protected] > »§«:*´`³¤³´´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« >