The Garden of Roses: Stories of Abuse and Healing

Sandy River Rambles: Sandy to Gresham Via Orient Drive on a Stormy Winter Evening or Seeking Shelter From the Storm and Finding Healing in a Sunset I lived in Portland more than 17 years before I discovered Orient Drive.  I normally drove home from Mt. Hood on the road most often traveled -- Highway 26 from Sandy to Gresham, Oregon.  The first time I traveled Orient Drive was on a stormy winter day.  The drive and the storm inspired me in multiple ways.  First, I found myself fascinated as I recognized bits of history along the road.  Second, when I looked at my photos after the drive, I immediately saw two metaphors for very important aspects of healing:  Keeping yourself safe in the storm and finding healing in a moment of beauty such as an awesome sunset. In 1846 during the days of the Oregon Trail, there was no Sandy and no Gresham.  Perhaps a few scattered farmsteads occupied their place.  The main road from The Dalles t...

Sandy River Rambles: Wandering Dodge Park on a Rainy Winter Day or  Acceptance of Every Person, Place, and Time O n winter afternoons when you don't have time to wander far from Portland, Oregon, drive through farms and forests along the Sandy River from where The Old Columbia River Highway departs from Interstate 84 to Highway 26 by Sandy, Oregon.  Dodge Park, midway between the two points offers the opportunity to get out and walk around, picnic at a table, or visit the restroom.  The park also provides both the spiritual uplift found in nature as well as metaphors for as aspects of healing, such as accepting ourselves and others and the consistency of change.  Dodge Park has changed much over the passing years and has meant different things to different people at different times. Two centuries ago, explorers Lewis and Clark named the Sandy River -- the Quicksand River -- due to the large amount of ash from an eruption of Mt. Hood in...