Hello, all!
I hope you are well today and having a good practice day so far. It’s glorious here in Western North Carolina, and it’s a wonderful pleasure to me to be alive on this day. I hope you feel the same!
My friend Kathleen homeschooled her kids until they were seventeen. There’s an area of her house that they called ‘the school room’ where the learning happened. During all those years a tapestry hung in that room with a writing from Dorothy Law Holte called *Children Learn What They Live”. I’ll include a photo of the tapestry, and here’s the text in case it’s unclear:
Children Learn What They Live
If a child lives with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, they learn to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, they learn to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, they learn to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If a child lives with praise, they learn to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, they learn justice.
If a child lives with security, they learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, they learn to find love in the world.”
Isn’t that wonderful? Let us strive to treat our children in ways that will encourage them to grow into mature and heart-centered people. And, just as important, let us treat our own selves that way also. Most of us were brought up with and parented by conditioned mind to a large degree, so there’s a lot of healing to do. Let us all treat ourselves with kindness, compassion, acceptance, and love, so that even now we can grow into the people we were designed to be.
In peace,
David