You are loved.

January 3, 2011 in Uncategorized

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

-e.e. cummings

Every day of every year, someone celebrates some kind of anniversary: The 56th anniversary of a birth, the 2nd anniversary of a death, the 18th anniversary of the day she told you she loved you, the 5th anniversary of your own private perfect storm, the 46th anniversary of a bombing or a wedding or a broken heart.

This very day, six years ago, I sat down in my family room surrounded by diapers, cheerios, and Pokemon, and started writing 37days. It has been a remarkable journey, full of words and people and love and stories. I cannot thank the readers of 37days enough for sharing their lives, their stories, their hopes and fears and laughs and art with me these past six years. Truly.

To celebrate the blogiversary, how about a few guest posts this week? If you'd like to contribute a short message, please do. Email it to me at patti@pattidigh.com (with GUEST POST in the subject line) and I'll see how many I can include during this week! And every day this week, I'll give away books or audiobooks to someone who leaves a comment that day! I'll post the first guest post in a wee bit.

Oh, and I love you. You are loved.

[Rock your world rocks by artist Kim Mailhot are available here]

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About Patti Digh

Patti Digh is an author, speaker, and educator who builds learning communities and gets to the heart of difficult topics. Her work over the last three decades has focused on diversity, inclusion, social justice, and living and working mindfully. She has developed diversity strategies and educational programming for major nonprofit and corporate organizations and has been a featured speaker at many national and international conferences.

14 comments to " You are loved. "

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Erin

January 3, 2011 AT 2:14AM

Thank you, thank you, thank you.
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Jan

January 3, 2011 AT 3:37AM

This is the hardest one for me to take in, so I appreciate the reminder. And it always makes me cry when I read the words and feel the feelings. When I was reading the poem, my immediate reaction was that no one feels that way about me, because I’m not married or in a similar relationship. Why is it easier to love and carry others in my heart–many cherished others, in fact–than to truly believe that I, too, am loved? First there is the mental exercise of reminding myself that I am loved, then my heart glimpses it, and some day my cells will know it too. Some day.
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Julie Williamson

January 3, 2011 AT 3:50AM

Thank you, I feel so loved <3 :)
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Sandy Van Nocker

January 3, 2011 AT 7:17AM

I love this e.e. cumming poem – one of my favorite poems!!

You are loved as well.
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Kim Mailhot

January 3, 2011 AT 8:59AM

Wowza ! Now this needs lots of candles and flag waving ! Look how far you have come, Baby ! Such an awesome and continuing journey you began 6 years ago. Long may you roam…
I love you too.
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Robin Smith

January 3, 2011 AT 11:00AM

Wow, once again you touch my heart! Thank you, Patti, for sharing your journey with us for these six years. You are loved.
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Jane

January 3, 2011 AT 11:15AM

Thank you for the reminder… and Happy Blogiversary to you!!!
xoxox
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gwyn

January 3, 2011 AT 2:48PM

Congratulations Patti and Thank You! LOVE!
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Fire Flower

January 3, 2011 AT 5:35PM

I met you recently when we walked into the fire together in Portland. I had no idea who you were before the retreat, I had never read your books (still haven’t but they are on my list for when I have play money).

The whole thing was a new experience for me. I usually hide in the back and keep to myself, I sat in the front and connected with people. And I wrote… inspired by you I wrote for the first time in quite a while and haven’t stopped since.

I commented at one point on how people always say I don’t write like “you are suppose to write” instead I write how I talk… you said that could be a topic for a whole talk on it’s own.

Then very recently I found your blog, I was looking for inspiration and discovered you write like you speak and that it is so beautiful and wonderful and real (which is how I felt about the wonderful 3 women who lead our retreat, and how these phenomenal women lead us).

Yesterday it all clicked. I was looking at the stone I had picked at the retreat “what is your joy?” it asks me. When I first picked it I almost cried because I honestly didn’t know, yesterday I realized my joy is telling my story, in my words, in writing! That maybe when people tell me I write like I speak they mean it as a good thing!

Yesterday, inspired, I started a blog of my own (different from others I’ve had) to explore this. I shivered with excitement and joy!

Then today I find out it’s your blogiversary, and I wanted to let you know that your blog has inspired me, you have inspired me! Just by being you, the real you… not perfect but human! And you write as you speak!

I look forward to slowly savoring your past posts, and those to come. I look forward to reading your books when I get the chance (and maybe listening to the audio versions to hear the words in your own voice) and most of all I look forward to using my “writing” voice again to tell my own personal story.

I have to say the retreat was one of the best birthday presents I have ever had the pleasure of receiving (and all the more special as it was from my entire family together).

Thank you for being you and sharing yourself with us through both speaking and writing. They say when you are ready for a teacher you will find one and I think that is what happened here.

This came out longer than I anticipated, but it seems like since I have opened the door the words just spill out, it makes me smile. :)
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Brad

January 3, 2011 AT 8:19PM

e.e. is far and away my favourite poet and I love this one… (a leaf falls on loneliness) is my fave but there’s nothing he has written that I don’t enjoy on some level.
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Melissa

January 4, 2011 AT 11:58AM

Thank you–for six years, for the invitation to participate, and for the love. They are very, very welcome in my life.
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Marilyn

January 4, 2011 AT 6:07PM

Happy, happy blogiversary! Thank you for all that you’ve shared with us over the past 6 years…the joys and sorrows, the triumphs and disappointments, the profound insights and giddy squeals. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that when I follow my desire lines, they take me right to your words. xo
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Barbara Israel

January 4, 2011 AT 8:26PM

Happy Blogiversaray Patty. The e.e. cummings poem was very touching especially since my husband Steve and I just celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary on December 27th. We went to NYC during the blizzard and had a blast from every point of view.

Thanks for 37 days and for all the encouragement you have been to me since I started reading your blog and books. I know that because of your words I have paid more attention to how I live my life. Thank you dear Patti! This year my one little word is CELEBRATE and I want to embrace not only the big events during this new year (our son is getting married this June) but also the small things of daily life — like washes the dishes, watching snow fall or observing a squirrel as he roots around under the snowfall and dirt to find a hidden acorn — amazing!

Blessings to you and yours and Happy New Year Patti!
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Sue Horner

January 29, 2011 AT 3:09PM

Happy blogiversary, Patti! I can’t recall how I stumbled upon your book and your blog, but you will not be surprised that serendipity played a role. I’ve loaned 37 Days to a friend and am eagerly awaiting its return to read it again. Your words touch my heart and often bring me to tears. Thank you, and keep it going.