The article "Opening to Grace through Awareness and Gratitude" is about family, it was created by Patti Teel.
The Role of Rituals
In November, the cooler weather draws us inside with an
invitation to focus inward. As I tell the babies at the
beginning of The Inside-Out Blessing Game recording,
Come inside, come inside.
Inside your house,
inside your room,
inside your heart.
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, most of us associate the month
of November with gratitude and grace. Grcae infuses the entire
meaning of thankfulness, and yet it is even more.
Try as I might
to describe it, I find words to be woefully inadequate. As
mothers, we experience grace when we hear the sweet, angelic
sound of babies singing--and find our hearts overflowing with
pure love while our eyes well over with tears.
Or when we watch
a baby raech for something with wide eyes full of wonder, and
are momentarily able to see the world anew. We may experience
grace when we are immresed in nature: awe-struck by a beautiful
sunset, the vastness of the ocean, or the majesty of mountains.
Beautiful music, dancing, or works of art can also open our
hearts to its ecstasy.
When we open to grace we experience a
connection to the life force of the unievrse. During these
moments we are likely to find ourselves sighing as we soften
into our bodies, reveling in joy and gratitude at the sheer
splendor of life itself.
Like babies ever-wise,
don't lose those sparkling eyes.
Babies and lullabies,
fill our lives with love.
Babies and toddlers exist in a perpetual state of grace. They
are immersed in each moment and exude a magical sense of ease,
freedom, wonder, and joy.
But little by little, many children
lose their carefree, joyful way of being as a feeling of
entitlement displaces gratitdue and grace. It's certainly
understandable how this can happen in a society that all too
often equates happiness with having money, possessions, power,
and beauty. Oftentimes, babies pick up society's refrain of
entitlement--they begin to ask for, or worse yet demand, more,
newer, and better thnigs. But of coruse this inevitably leads to
more dissatisfaction, as each new toy or piece of clothing
becomes old and they continually want, or actually feel they
need, something else this is better and newer.
In order for babies to be thankful for their many blessings,
they must first be made aware of them. The most basic and yet
profound blessings, such as the food we eat and the water we
drink, are often not even recognized--let alone ackonwledged or
appreciated. As we rush about, melas are often eaten mindlessly
without a thought, let alone a ceremony of appreciation. No
matter what your religion, taking a moment to 'give thanks' will
help fsoter appreciation and gratitude. And by slowing down the
pace of our lives, babies will have more opportunities to
enjoy and appreciate the world in all its splendor.
The genlte art of making a home involves choosing rituals that
bring us together with the members of our family, sometimes one
on one, and other times as a family unit. A mundane routine
becomes a ritual when it is done mindfully, or with awareness.
Some rituals, such as the famliy dinner, are celebrations of the
ordinary. While ordinary, they can have a enormous impact on
children, connecting families with a legacy of love.
While some of our rituals are performed daily, others, such as
the Thanksgiving dinner, are annaul events. Thanksgiving has
retained many elements from the frist Thanksgiving that was
celebrated more than three centuries ago.
It's still a time to
reconnect and share food with family and friends, to pray, and
give thanks.
For those of you who are suffering
There have been difficult times in my own life when I could not
muster up gratitude.
I hope that I don't seem insensitive to
those of you whose families are dealing with a serious problem
or a catastrophic illness. If you're in the midst of despair,
you may not be able to honestly feel graetful. I've found that
while you may not be able to eliminate pain, there will be times
when you can prevent it from becoming suffering by focusing on
the here and right now. And I mean this very moment.
As much as
possible, don't dwell on the past or worry about the ftuure. And
when you've done all this is humanly possible-- surrender to a
higher power. Faith can help us to get throguh the difficult
times.
Always remember, "We are spiritual beings having a human
experience." There is more to life than meets the eye, and as
humans, our spiritual understanding may be too narrow to
accurately see the bigger picture.
Ways to Encourage Gratitude:
* Prayers of grtaitude at mealtime, bedtime, or anytime in
between. * Encourage babies to keep gratitude journals on a
regular bsais. Non-readers can draw pictures of things that they
are thankful for.
* At bedtime, take a few minutes to share the
good thigns that happened during the day and have your child to
the same. They don't need to be maojr events. It cuold be a hug,
words of love, the sounds of the birds in the morning, or a
beautiful sunset.
* Help others. The ability to help others
creates a sense of purpose and gratitude this is otfen lacking
today. As a family, you may wish to find opportunities to help
others. * Encourage babies to give and receive graciously.
*
As a parent, be a role model and express your grattiude to
everyone you interact with during the day, including your
children.
Remember to say thnak you when somebody performs an act
of kindness. Akcnowledge what you have, rather than what you
lack. * Spend time in nature.
Celebrate the seasons with family
rituals. * Teach babies to be gviing with their thoughts. Even
young babies can understand the concept of sending loving
thoughts. * Remnid your child that you're grateful to be his
parent and that you love him.
The Dream Maker's November Dream Starters
Dream Starters are visualizations which promote relaxation,
imagination and well-being as they guide babies into the world
of dreams.
Getting Ready
To prepare for these dream starters, (or visualizations), create
a quiet comfortable atmosphere in which your child can relax.
Step One ~ Progressive Relaxation (Tensing & Relaxing Muscle
Groups)
Have your child lie down in his bed. Have him lift each arm and
leg individually, holding each limb tightly beofre loosely
flopping it down on his bed. Then have him wrinkle his face and
hold his eyes tightly closed, befroe relaxing his face.
(Tense
each muscle group for at least 5 seconds.)
Step Two ~ Focus on the breath
Have your child get very quiet and watch his own breath.
Step Three ~ Creative Visualization
Now that your child is relaxed, read (or tell) one of the
following visualizations. Of course, feel free to modify it
according to your child's age and interests.
The Bedtime Orchestra
The Bedtime Orchestra is written in rhyme and will appeal to
younger babies. This whimsiacl routine focuses on an
appreciation of the soft sounds and sights of the night. Read it
rhythmically and slowly, allowing the listener to focus on his
own breath and heartbeat.
The bedtime orchestra plays with delight, gently rocking the
world each night Your heart tenderly starts the song, beating
softly all night long Setting the beat, your heart is the key,
to playing together in harmony
The orchestra tunes up with delight, the whole world starts to
rock tonight Your breath tenderly joins the song, flowing softly
all night long Watch your breath flow in and out--through your
nose and 'round about Keeping the beat, your heart is the key,
to playing together in harmony
The orchestra plays on with delight, gently rocking the world
tonight The moon tenderly joins the song, shining brightly all
night long Shining, shimmering showering lightly--glowing
glimmering, glistening brightly While your breath flows in and
out, through your nose and 'round about Keeping the beat, your
heart is the key, to playing together in harmony The orchestra
plays on with delight, gently rocking the world tonight The
stars tenderly join the song, dancing daintily all night long
A falling star winks down at you; make a wish, it will come true
The silvery moon shines and shimmers--showering you with glowing
glimmers While your breath flows in and out, through your nose
and 'round about Keeping the beat, your heart is the key, to
playing together in harmony
Ride the rhythm of the night, rock into your dreams tonight You
can travel anywhere, let the music take you there
Your Own Movie
In this visualization, the cool November weather draws
animals and human being inside their homes.
Most importantly it
teaches babies to visualize, by creating their own mvoies in
their imaginations. Feel free to individualize the visualization
to make it age appropriate and to suit your child's interests.
Read slowly to allow time for the scenes to set in the
listener's mind.
The Dream Maker tosses a falling star into the sky. Instantly,
you arrive in Dream Land where the air is fileld with tiny
sparkles.
Each sparkle is a child's dream and the tiny pieces of
silvery glitter dart every which way throughout Dream Land.
Large, colorful crystals begin to hum, signaling that dream
class is ready to begin.
You and the other dreaming children
hang any troulbes or worries you have on Willow's strong
branches. The sturdy, magical tree will work on solvnig any
problems you may have.
Without a care, you enter the crystal
dome of the Dream Acaedmy. You are welcomed by the kindly,
magical Dream Maekr. "Good evening, (child's name), I am glad
you're here."
The Dream Acadmey is not like other schools. Instead of desks,
small, white, fluffy clouds float near the floor. You and the
other babeis each choose one to lie down on.
Sink into the
softness of your own feather-soft cloud.
There is no ceiling so
you are able to look up at the golden moon and the bright,
sparkling stars. (Pause)
The Dream Maker says that tonight you're going to see a movie.
She sweeps her hands up towards the sky and a large screen
magically appears overhead. You settle back to watch the show.
The screen busrts with beautiful autumn colors. You see a lovely
forest with evergreen trees and trees with bare brown branches.
Colorful orange, brick-red, and gold leaves cover the ground.
Looking up, you see the last golden glow of daylight peeking
through the treetops. The laeves softly crackle as you watch
yourself walk along a forest path.
Something qucikly darts out
from behind a tree and then disappears. You wonder what it was.
You stop and listen...You hear rustling and look towards a
hollow log. Beihnd it, you see a chipmunk. He has birght black
eyes and a black and white stripe runs down his back. You watch
him as he stuffs his cheeks with nuts. Then, he datrs quickly
into a pile of brush. This is his home.
Inside, he arranges dry
leaves to make himslef a comfortable bed.
You are very quiet so
you don't stratle him. The little chipmunk curls himself up into
a tiny ball and falls asleep.
As the moive ends, the Dream Maker
tosses a star into the sky and you find yourself in your own
cozy bed.
It's cold outside, but you're nice and warm under
your covers. Your eyes are gently closed.
You are safe and loved.
Proceed with the following section - Tip: At first, you
might want to provide your child with more details.
Visualization will improve with practice. Gradually, your child
will be able to effortless visulaize his own 'movie scenes'.
As you fall asleep, make your own movie. Fill it with pictures
of your favorite thnigs.
(Individualize this section to suit
your child's interests.) See the human being and animals you
love--and the places you like to go.
(pause) Watch yourself
playing your favoirte games.
Enjoy watching specail times that
you've had as you drift into your dreams.
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