I've worked with homeless kids, kids in foster care, and I've never met a kid who couldn't be reached. Vanessa Diffenbaugh More Quotes by Vanessa Diffenbaugh More Quotes From Vanessa Diffenbaugh Anyone can grow into something beautiful. Vanessa Diffenbaugh something-beautifulgrowsbeautiful Hate can be passionate or disengaged; it can come from dislike but also from fear. Vanessa Diffenbaugh passionatedislikehate Perhaps the unattached, the unwanted, the unloved, could grow to give love as lushly as anyone else. Vanessa Diffenbaugh maternal-lovegrowsgiving If it was true that moss did not have roots, and maternal love could grow spontaneously, as if from nothing, perhaps I had been wrong to believe myself unfit to raise my daughter. Perhaps the unattached, the unwanted, the unloved, could grow to give love as lushly as anyone else. Vanessa Diffenbaugh daughterrootsbelieve She was perfect. I knew this the moment she emerged from my body, white and wet and wailing. Beyond the requisite ten fingers and ten toes, the beating heart, the lungs inhaling and exhaling oxygen, my daughter knew how to scream. She knew how to make herself heard. She knew how to reach out and latch on. She knew what she needed to do to survive. I didn’t know how it was possible that such perfection could have developed within a body as flawed as my own, but when I looked into her face, I saw that it clearly was. Vanessa Diffenbaugh oxygendaughterheart Your behavior is a choice; it isn’t who you are. Vanessa Diffenbaugh who-you-arebehaviorchoices The Victorian language of flowers began with the publication of 'Le Language des Fleurs,' written by Charlotte de Latour and printed in Paris in 1819. To create the book - which was a list of flowers and their meanings - de Latour gathered references to flower symbolism throughout poetry, ancient mythology, and even medicine. Vanessa Diffenbaugh flowerspoetryflowerbook There's still something so pure and heartfelt and emotional and genuine about a bouquet of flowers that, even with all the advances of technology and the millions of ways we have to communicate with each other, flowers are still relevant in my opinion. Vanessa Diffenbaugh flowersopinionemotionaltechnology You have to really prove yourself to young people, and if your answer is clear and consistent and loving - even if it's angry and disappointed - what's important is that you're being real and honest and not going anywhere. Vanessa Diffenbaugh yourselfyouangrypeople We all make mistakes, and we all need second chances. For youth in foster care, these mistakes are often purposeful - if not consciously so; a way to test the strength of a bond and establish trust in a new parent. Vanessa Diffenbaugh bondyouthtruststrength I was a screenwriting and studio art major in college, so even though I don't have any training as a floral designer, I have a very particular visual aesthetic. Vanessa Diffenbaugh aesthetictrainingcollegeart We are more and more into technology. Everything is texting, and everything is instant. Flowers are completely impractical as a method of communication when you could just send a text. Vanessa Diffenbaugh flowersyoucommunicationtechnology I've always loved the language of flowers. I discovered Kate Greenaway's 'Language of Flowers' in a used bookstore when I was 16 and couldn't believe it was such a well-kept secret. How could something so beautiful and romantic be virtually unknown? Vanessa Diffenbaugh flowersbeautifulromanticbelieve The most violent and troubling stories become part of our national consciousness about foster care. Vanessa Diffenbaugh aboutbecomeconsciousnesscare Though politics is by nature divisive, surely we all can agree that foster children need stability, safety, education, opportunity - and love. Vanessa Diffenbaugh natureeducationlovechildren I did a minor in creative writing in college, but I didn't start writing until I stayed at home with my own children. Vanessa Diffenbaugh startmy-ownhomechildren Everyone needs something they're good at. You want your kids to be passionate and figure out something they're good at. Vanessa Diffenbaugh yourgoodyouwant I don't think there is anything magical about the language of flowers in real life or in my book. Vanessa Diffenbaugh flowerslanguagelifebook I founded Camellia Network with my dear friend Isis Dallis Keigwin. The mission of our organization is to create a national network that connects every youth aging out of foster care to the critical resources, opportunities, and support they need to thrive in adulthood. Vanessa Diffenbaugh friendyouthsupportcare At Camellia Network, we believe if we can create a way of identifying every young person aging out of foster care, defining what they need, and giving a community of supporters a simple and clear way to fulfill those needs, we can produce radically improved outcomes for youth. Vanessa Diffenbaugh youthcommunitysimplebelieve
