Beyond Boundaries · Essays and Tidbits From Nancy Bo Flood
NEVER AGAIN—the cry of survivors of the Holocaust NEVER AGAIN—continues to echo across Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, and on and on Last fall when I first began biking from Belgium to Holland, I was amazed at the beauty all around me and the resourcefulness of humans to reclaim this land from the sea, to make…
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“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela Yes, education is power. All children have the right to go to school. All children have the right to learn to read. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in Article 26: All children have a right to an…
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Last week I introduced The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This astounding document lists thirty basic rights promised to children everywhere. Today lets look more closely at several of these rights – freedom, home and family, and protection from harm and torture. NOT ALLOWED No person No government Has the right to take away a…
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On December 17th, I introduced to my readers the visionary document, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I asked, “What if during this holiday time of gifts and family, food and laughter, you could give to every child—or even one child—the gift of safety, of being with family, having a home, a full tummy with…
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“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I often re-read these words spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr., “the silence of our friends,” and reflect on my own silence. Today someone stood at the stoplight holding a cardboard sign.…
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World Day of Peace is remembered … celebrated … imagined … every January 1st. January 1, 2020, this new decade began with a World Day of Peace. I took out a recent photo taken of the simple but unforgettable statue of Anne Frank, which stands near her final home in the Secret Annex, Amsterdam. I…
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An homage to storytelling in Thunder Bay, Ontario, quoting from “The Dimness of Mothers and Daughters,” by Marilyn Dumont. From the plaque (because it may be hard to read): “This is a story shaped by you As big as your words or As long as your sentences This is your story Even though you haven’t…
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What rights do children have? If you could, what rights would you give to every child—every child—during this sacred time of year? Imagine this, the United Nations in December of 1948 proclaimed that all people, every child and grown-up—no matter where they lived, who they were—would have rights allowing them to live free and equal.…
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I became absorbed with Vincent van Gogh’s paintings at “his” museum in Amsterdam. I had never seen his work close-up in person. Such rich color, such captured energy. And faces of old people or exhausted farmers that looked back at you as if they could see your soul while you were gazing into theirs. The…
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“Sometimes a tree can tell you more than can be read in a book.” —Carl Jung Do trees make sound? Do they talk amongst themselves? Do they talk to us? What do they tell us? The season of the year? Their life story? The tale of the surrounding community? Here are a few photos from…
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Times have greatly changed the rules for writing in children’s literature. Sex is okay but periods … maybe. Swearing, exploring gender identity, exploring sexuality – go right ahead. But spirituality? Tip-toe with caution.
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We stump across the stage or parade down your street.
Hear us ROAR our terrible words.
Listen. Laugh. Perhaps shiver.