Today's Morning Blessing from Reverend Angela Peregoff

I thought this was a nice follow up to what I posted yesterday about being a parent. Must be a theme this year :o)

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.
It is to decide forever to have your heart
go walking around outside your body.- Elizabeth Stone

There comes a time in each child's life when they are faced with critical decisions and we, as parents, must sit back in silent witness and observe their choices. We hang intently on the outer edges of their judgment-making processes hoping to get a glimpse of the honesty, empathy, kindness, compassion, respect and responsibility we modeled for them. Children naturally adopt behaviors they observe in us -- we are the example of what they will be in the world. The curiosity of what they will choose often has us questioning our own values and character. Did who we really are speak loudly enough for them to hear? Can they find the same fire within to stand in integrity and light when life is creating a challenging adventure for them? Have our own accomplishments as parents passed the legacy of Wisdom on to our greatest channeling of joy?

Lately I have had a number of conversations with parents that have revolved around this very subject. The moms and dads find themselves having to trust the journey and the heart wisdom of their most precious creation. There is distress and concern that a son or daughter won't have the courage or conscience to make the right choice. I have urged them to remember the depth of commitment they have given to parenting, and while children usually choose the lesser standard of behavior first they eventually come back to the framework they were raised in.

We all learn about what we value through trial and error, so why would it be any different for our children? If you have any doubts about the confidence and truth your child possesses I beg you to get up right now, walk up to your child and stare into his or her eyes. The reflection you see is the Intelligence of the adult they will become. Sure, it may take a while to mature but I guarantee if you blazed a trail of authenticity and were a living example of what you want to see in your children it will show up. It can't not!

Never lose sight of the energy, thoughtfulness and love that is sometimes hidden within a blanket of chaos and denial my friends.

The time will come when your children will clean up their acts and meet their challenges with the allowance of values you have embodied in them.

Remember, our children are the messages we are sending into
a future we may never see, Reverend Angela Peregoff