More Summer Reading: Temple Grandin Essay in “This I Believe”

“Because I have autism…here’s how my brain works:

 

It’s like the search engine Google for images.

 

If you say the word ‘love’ to me, I’ll surf the Internet inside my brain.

 

Then, a series of images pops into my head. What I’ll see is a picture of a mother horse with a foal; or think of ‘Herbie, the Love Bug’; scenes from the Movie The Love Story; or the Beatles song ‘Love, love, love, all you need is love…’ …

 

Some people might think if I could snap my fingers I’d choose to be ‘normal.’ But, I wouldn’t want to give up my ability to see in beautiful, precise pictures. I believe in them.”

 

~ taken from an essay: ‘Seeing in Beautiful, Precise Pictures’ by Temple Grandin, part of the collection:  This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women .

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Prayers from and to St. Lucy

 

Saint Lucy

delivered her eyes to her lover on a platter
in an act of devotion
because he had once admired them
exchanging her vision for the prophet’s.
In an act of devotion,
Saint Lucy lost her sense,
exchanging her vision for the prophet’s.
She desires inspection.
Saint Lucy lost her sense
Traded spectacles for dreams
and denies inspection.
Saint Lucy, unspoken,
for she can not weep
and loves her Lord, fiercely.
Such women are disfigured by their devotion.
Saint Lucy tore out her eyes
and raised gaping lids to God.

Laura Ehrisman

Euthychia suggested that the sums would make a good bequest, but Lucy countered,

“…whatever you give away at death for the Lord’s sake you give because

you cannot take it with you.

Give now to the true Savior,

while you are healthy,

whatever you intended to give away at your death.”

~ St. Lucy, via Wikipedia