Pola’s Flower by Diana Nadeau
I’ve written multiple books, but this one holds a special place in my heart.
The idea for Pola’s Flower was inspired by my family’s loss of a dear 4-year-old friends. This experience led me to working with children grieving the death of someone close to them. The challenges these kiddos faced were complex and heartbreaking. After two years in child bereavement work, I felt drawn to creating a support, a story perhaps, to potentially provide a glimmer of light for children grappling with death and loss.
The story itself was inspired by my 15-year student-teacher relationship with HE Choeje Ayang Rinpoche. It portrays one child’s loss and is painted across the setting of historical events that took place in Tibet around the year, 1959. The events within Pola’s Flower do not reflect my own history but rather the history of my teacher, one he shared with me many times through his stories over the years of our connection.
The illustrations for Pola’s Flower were funded by a grant from the Khyentse Foundation and were beautifully created by local Tibetan artist, Lobsang Gyatso.
Also of special note, as mentioned in the blurb about my work with the I Ching, Taoist Master Alfred Huang read and endorsed this book.
