Dichotomies 3


Friday was a day of bad news and hopeful signs.

From relatives: a house broken into for the second time in as many weeks; a relative who works as a teller held up; a young man’s suicide and the pain of the survivors; the cancer of a childhood friend’s mother has spread; a family’s two year saga with DSS is at a critical crossroads with a resolution being the lesser of two evils and no justice served; another friend has no heat or hot water as she pays down a bill from last year.  I was afraid to answer the phone or check email by the time Saturday rolled around.  Believe it or not, I woke up on Friday feeling hopeful, powerful and happy for the day.

My prayer is that the cloud that has been suspended over the family for the past two years move out to sea.  I don’t want it to go over any one else’s family but, damn, it’s been over this family for a while.  Enough.  “Lord, have mercy” is prayed over and over.  We have faith but it is being tested.  We have strength but are feeling battered.  “Intervene please,” is whispered to the ancestors, those who loved us and who have gone before us and, we hope, are watching out for and over us.  We keep counting our blessings and praying, “Lord, have mercy.”

Hopeful signs on the income front:  two interviews this week, two tours, one meeting with stipend, two inquiries awaiting follow-up; a closing that will bring money to relieve money worries for my closest friend. (Please, oh, please, oh please…)

Unexpected goody – an opportunity to see a major singer up close and personal because of the generosity of a friend.


Into each life some rain must fall. (Rain is necessary but floods not so much.)  “I’ve looked at life from both sides now…” Joni Mitchell writes powerful lyrics and I am feeling the wisdom of this particular song right now.

I usually take my water with a slice of lemon, but I’m looking for a little sugar and a bit of honey to add right now.

Ciao, bella.


About Candelaria Silva

Candelaria Silva-Collins is a marketing, community outreach and programming consultant; writer; and trainer/facilitator who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She has designed and facilitated workshops on a wide variety of topics including communication, facilitation, job search skills, team building, and parenting issues. She currently coordinates the Community Membership Program of the Huntington Theatre Company. Her work as Director of ACT Roxbury was profiled in several publications, including The Creative Communities Builders Handbook. Candelaria’s children’s stories, short stories, essays and reviews have been published in local and national publications and she is an active blogger. Her publications include the booklets, Handling Rejection; Pushing through Shyness: Networking Tips when You’re Shy, Slow to Warm Up or Just don’t Feel you Belong; and Real Questions about Sex & Relationships for Teens: A Discussion Guide for Parents. She has served on the boards of Goddard College, Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston Foundation for Architecture, and Discover Roxbury. She is currently Chair, Designators of the Henderson Foundation.

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