A biography for Vanessa Diffenbaughhasn’t been written yet.
“Our standards for motherhood are so high that many of us harbor intense, secret guilt for every harsh word we speak to our children, every negative thought that enters our minds.”
“Everyone needs something they're good at. You want your kids to be passionate and figure out something they're good at.”
“I wanted to write with emotional honesty and tell a story people could connect with. And I wanted people to know how the foster system in America fails children; and how, at 18, they fall through the cracks. Then we can all work together and give support.”
“The open forgiveness in her eyes, the uncensored love, terrified me.”
“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.”
“Though politics is by nature divisive, surely we all can agree that foster children need stability, safety, education, opportunity - and love.”
“The problem is foster youth don't really have this network that other kids have.”
“My husband and I have been involved with foster youth since our early 20s. Right out of college and not yet married, we spent weekends mentoring a family of young girls.”
“Every second I have spare, I'm with my kids.”
“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.”
“I love Toni Morrison and Jeanette Winterson. 'The Passion' is my favourite book.”
“There's a certain freedom in writing when you don't know if you'll ever have an audience.”
“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.”
“I believe you can prove everyone wrong, too, Victoria. Your behavior is a choice; it isn't who you are.”
“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.”
“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.”
“We have been trained to broadcast our successes and hide our failures. But the truth is this: our failures humanise us, and they connect us to one another.”
“Writing has always been an interest of mine, and 'The Language of Flowers' combined my experience with foster care with something I've always wanted to do.”
“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?”
“I think that the hardest thing about working with young people in foster care who've been through this kind of neglect and abuse is really to convince them that they are worthy of being loved. And I think because often they don't feel worthy of it, that's why they push people away.”