Leana Delle

I glimpse a tiny rainbow
In a single drop of dew,
And ponder how the earth and sun
Have many different views

Reflecting up, reflecting down
It’s all in how we look,
We see what nature’s given us
Or view all that we took

It doesn’t take a genius
To know importance of,
Finding our connection
And feeding it with love

For in that tiny dew drop
Resting on a leaf,
Lies all that’s gone before us
And all that we believe

And from on high, when viewed from space
Floating past the sun,
We are, ourselves, but dew drops
Illuminating One

~ Leana Delle
Sunday, August 11, 2019
2019 Sunday Poetry Challenge – Number thirty-one of fifty-two
Photo Credit: John Thomas

Rapid heart rate; uncontrolled sweating; a continual reel playing in your head of worst case scenarios. Sound familiar? If you’ve ever had to speak in front of a crowd, odds are it does.

When Nicole McLean had a big presentation to give, she did the obvious: she practiced. In her case, she did it in front of her husband, over and over again. At some point, he suggested a possible solution, one that she jokingly says may have saved their marriage. He developed a virtual reality (VR) audience.

Not everyone’s partner has the ability to create VR, but he did, and the result has blossomed into Instage, a product that’s expanding beyond the living room to fill a genuine need.

“You never know what kind of opportunity you have or where you’re going to end up, so you have to really be grateful and say okay, now I have a chance to make a mark and not necessarily be trapped in one career path. I can open this up and help a lot of people.”

And who’s going to argue with this quote: “No one likes role playing with coworkers.”

Right?!

During our conversation, she expanded on that switch in mindset from career path to being an entrepreneur, covering everything from idea conception, marketing, pitching, self-doubt and just good, old-fashioned enthusiasm. And wait until you hear what this product is really capable of doing! Help a lot of people, indeed.

I, for one, am thrilled to see Instage become a reality (virtual and otherwise), and I know you will be, too.

Check out Nicole’s entertaining interview on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or by clicking HERE. And be sure to leave a review!

And thanks to George Gettas for yet another fabulous connection.

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It echoes loud throughout our minds
This sound we’ve come to know,
A metronome in perfect time
Adjusting fast or slow

It follows us to bed each night
And greets us in the morn,
Playing over from the start
Until our nerves are worn

Its origin has many points
Like shopping malls and bars,
From Sunday pews to public schools
Converging on our hearts

Yet no one with authority
To save our very lives,
Will stand for truest liberty
And set the cash aside

The sound we hear each day and night
Is partnered with our dread,
That, God forbid, we step outside
And count among the dead

We look to faces unlike ours
Each one under suspicion,
When hateful, fear-based aryans
Hold the ammunition

And in their wake a child’s cry
Is silenced by a gun,
We shake our heads and say our prayers
But He knows Satan’s won

~ Leana Delle
Sunday, August 4, 2019
2019 Sunday Poetry Challenge – Number thirty of fifty-two
Photo Credit: Edu Lauton

“I love what I’m doing, because I just love this community, and I know what it’s like to be a mom in this position. And I just want to help other people so that they don’t have such a hard time navigating this.”

Wendy VonSosen is referring to her role as president of Mama Dragons, an organization whose mission is to support, educate, and empower mothers of LGBTQ children. They support all moms, of course, but focus primarily on those who are religious or conservative. Why? “Because it’s more difficult for them.”

Like all Mama members, Wendy knows of what she speaks. Raised Mormon, her beliefs became severely challenged when her own son came out at a young age. In her attempts to process her child’s sexual orientation, something she’s come to accept as being “as natural as having 10 fingers and 10 toes,” she found the organization and the resources/support she needed.

For those who listen to this podcast on a regular basis, you’ll know that I’m passionate about women supporting women. This organization, however, raises the bar. Not only for what they do for each other, but also for the rippling effect into the LBGTQ community.

According to Wendy, LGBTQ youth who are rejected by their families are 8 times more likely to attempt suicide, 6 times more likely to experience depression, 3 times more likely to use illegal drugs, and 3 times more likely to be at high risk for HIV and STDs. Encouraging love and acceptance is a critical need.

“Everyone’s journey is different, and everyone has their own path, but if we can just support one another as women and mothers so that these kids can have the most loving environment for growing up, I think that that’s a really good thing.”

I couldn’t agree more, Wendy. Cheers to that!

If you’re a mother who is struggling with her child’s sexual orientation, Wendy and her fellow dragons have a message for you:

“You don’t need to know the answers. You don’t need to know how this happened or why this happened or what the future holds. The only thing that is necessary is for you to love and accept your child without condition. And you’re welcome to join Mama Dragons.”

You can hear my interview with Wendy VonSosen on iHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or by clicking HERE.

Learn more:
Mama Dragons Website
Mama Dragons Video
Mama Dragons Instagram
Mama Dragons Facebook

It’s time again to reinvent
To shed the skin of old,
Shake off any lingering fears
Start visualizing bold

Who’ll emerge when all is done
Is simply hard to tell,
Regardless, I shall not resist
For stagnant equals hell

I trust my soul when call it does
For me to do its bidding,
Cast off external nonsense played
By gratefully forgiving

For each time that the whispers build
Into a cry to alter,
I’ve found the wisdom of the change
A gift that never falters

So come again, this time and next,
And challenge all I am,
To shift perceptions of the whole
And find the grace to bend

~ Leana Delle
Sunday, July 28, 2019
2019 Sunday Poetry Challenge – Number twenty-nine of fifty-two
Photo Credit: Nadi Whatisdelirium