Le Laredoan

lmaoo

Sources : Wikipedia , Godfinder and God search

Martha Graham, Xochitl, (Aztec Ballet) c 1915

Margarita, La Doña before It happened here in Merced, Mexico City

“My brother and I were both placed into foster homes at a young age. He was lucky—he went to a family called the Ripleys. I went through four different homes in three years, and each one was worse than the next. I’d get to see my brother every few months.  Ms. Ripley would take us for lunch at McDonalds, and that’s when she first noticed the scars all over my body. She immediately made arrangements for me to join their family. Back then the word ‘family’ didn’t mean much to me. But the Ripleys made me feel welcome in their home. Whenever I did something wrong, Ms. Ripley would sit me down and explain why it wasn’t OK. But then she’d say: ‘You’re not going anywhere. Because you belong to us now.’ Shortly after I joined the family, Mr. Ripley was diagnosed with cancer. And later that year he passed away. Ms. Ripley’s entire world fell apart. They’d been high school sweethearts. And now she was alone with two foster kids. Nobody would have blamed her for taking us back. But instead she took us to court and made it permanent. The three of us moved into a single wide trailer in Mississippi, and that’s where she raised us. She worked whatever odd jobs she could find.  We never had much, but we went to movies. We had family game nights. She kept us busy with little league and Boy Scouts. She must have been super stressed, but that’s not at all what I remember. I just remember the affirmation that she gave me. It was always: ‘You’re smart.’ And ‘You’re handsome.’ And ‘You survived all that stuff because you’re strong.’ She cried when I joined the Marines, but she knew it was my best chance for a college education. And eventually I graduated from law school. Last year I had a daughter of my own. And that really put me into an emotional tailspin. Because I realized how every little choice I make is going to affect her future. And then I started thinking about how different my life could have been. Because my early development had been the opposite of what a child’s should be. I should be broken, but I’m not. Because thirty years ago my Mom decided to keep me. And somehow, despite all her sadness and heartbreak, she poured enough love into me so that I could heal.”

(source // qvotext on instagram)

— Tao Te Ching

“I wanted to fly planes on an aircraft carrier, but my father had fought in World War I, and he told me that we’re a family who goes into the army.  So I enlisted in the infantry.  I wasn’t worried about a thing.  I was only eighteen years old.  I was too young and too stupid to be afraid.  The government sent me to Europe on the Queen Mary. I had two sets of dog tags.  One of them designated my religion as ‘Hebrew,’ which I planned on throwing away if I got caught.  I was sent to the Battle of the Bulge.  When I arrived at my post outside of Luxembourg, I learned that all the officers in my company had been killed, except for one.  He assigned me to be an advance scout.  It sounds like a glamorous job, but my orders were to walk in front and draw fire so everyone behind me knew there was danger.  At one point a shell exploded over my head and my ear started bleeding.  When the medics finished bandaging me up, they told me: ‘That will be enough to get you a Purple Heart!’  But I told them to keep it because I knew they’d notify my parents, and I didn’t want them to worry.  After I recovered I was transferred to the Mauthausen concentration camp.  I arrived on my 19th birthday.  My new job was to guard the liberated prisoners so the Nazis didn’t come back and kill them.  These people were so emaciated from being starved to death.  I was helping to bury hundreds of bodies per day.  But I couldn’t cry.  Because I had be strong for the prisoners.  They needed my strength.  I would walk around the courtyard at night, and sing a popular Jewish song called ‘My Yiddishe Momme.’  It’s a whole long story about missing your mother, but the lyrics didn’t matter.  I’d sing it as loud as I could.  Because I wanted everyone to know that a Jewish boy was there to protect them.”   #quarantinestories