The Legend of the Phoenix was told and retold throughout the ages, even appearing in Greek and Chinese literature. The bird was said to live for 500 years or more, to be consumed by fire by its own act, and to rise in youthful freshness from its own ashes."For now his feathers were afire and the top of the palm tree burst into flame. Now there was nothing left of the bird but a still glow atop the charred tree. The glow took form and the color moved, sparks renewed, assumed the shape of the feathers, and the gentle desert breeze blended the sparks together into the new Phoenix, tall, iridescent, magnificent. For now his rebirth was complete. And as he rose from the flames, his song also rose like a silver clarion call, proclaiming his rebirth to the world."
Adopted as the symbol for the United Ostomy Association, the Phoenix represents a fiery symbol of the spirit and feeling underlying the growth of the Association.
For the ostomate, what more appropriate symbol? From the ashes of despair and disease, from the fate of disability and death, from the ebb tide of physical and emotional being the full tide of life, of hope, or health.
Reborn to a life of fulfillment, of dedication, of giving to others. Although not ourselves immortal, we gain perhaps true immortality by giving of yourself to others, so that we may live on in the hearts and minds of others.
As the symbol of the constant renewal of spiritual values, of the flames of love and compassion, of the season, spring of life, may the Phoenix service as a glowing vibrant sign for each of us.
