Feeding Our Children

A few weeks ago I spent some time at our oldest son and daughter-in-law's little farm.  It was a sacred time mostly playing with my almost two year-old granddaughter and enjoying the world at the farm.  Not to mention cuddling my newest granddaughter, born July 3, and visiting with my son and daughter-in-law.

Little Ruth and I spent a lot of time out on the roofed patio - Ruth playing in a pail of water and me watching her as well as some little house wrens who had a nest in an old coffee pot hanging there for just such a purpose.

I never did see any baby birds but I did see a couple of adult birds often bringing worms to the nest.  It amazed me how cautious they were.  They would come and sit on the fence quite a distance away.

Looking around to make sure they weren't seen, they would fly up to the rafters and again sit for a time.  Eventually they would fly into their nest with their feast - usually a big fat juicy worm!  Moments later they would re-emerge and off they would go again to find another such tasty morsel.

These are some pictures from last year when some sparrows had a nest in another can secured in the rafters.  However, the cat this year cleaned out the nest from that can (before the birds arrived I hope) but couldn't quite reach the old coffee pot dangling from the rafters.

All of this started me thinking about what we feed our children.  No, I'm not talking about meat and potatoes and veggies.  I'm talking about love and compassion, anger and frustration, honesty and truth and those sorts of things.

My kids have told me that the most important thing we fed them was the opportunity to be themselves - they didn't need to be little cookie-cutter miniatures, they were free to be themselves.  I remember several people commenting when our children were small how they were such free spirits.  I wasn't sure at the time quite how to take that but I guess it was a good thing.

Another thing that we fed our kids was the opportunity to make their own choices from a young age.  Packing for a camping holiday, for example, being the mother of three small children I let them each pack their own suitcase.  I looked through it, of course, to make sure they had enough of the major essentials but that was after they had packed what they thought they needed.  This continued through to our fourth child as well, letting them make small decisions on their own which turned into bigger choices as they grew older.

Later in life, as teenagers and then adults we could trust that they would make good choices but we were there to offer support and encouragement when they didn't turn out as well as expected.

We also gave them lots of opportunity to try new things - swimming, dancing, skating, Karate, ball, whatever, but not to the point that they had no time for themselves to play or just be.  We tried to find a happy balance.

As unsure as I felt at the time, I guess we didn't do too badly since they all turned out to be just awesome adults!  (Just a little bias there.)  All of this we did mostly by instinct, I guess.  We never actually decided this is what we wanted to teach our kids; I guess a lot of it was just because of who we are/were.  I know there were also times when we fed them anger and frustration and things like that but there was always an ample helping of love as well.

So I would be very interested to know what all of you are feeding your children, or grandchildren?  Is it lots of big juicy gobs of love, patience, honesty, respect, and kindness with just a small smattering of anger or frustration?  Or is it a lot of greed, impatience, and being miserable?  Have you ever thought about it?

This all then begs the question "What are we feeding ourselves?" to be able to feed others well.  But that's a whole other topic for another time!

Perfect Evening

Last evening I went down to the lake with my husband.  He threw his fishing line into the lake while I took out my camera to see what I might find.  The first thing I noticed was the clouds floating about in the sky.

So I spent some time watching them as they moved and changed across the sky.




Some flowers caught my eye. 

It rained again and I sought shelter under the trees.

After the rain -- a beautiful rainbow appeared.

I noticed the raindrops left on the leaves, sparkling in the last rays of the sun.

We stayed until the last of the sun was fading off in the west.

A perfect ending to a perfect day! 

Living From the Core

For awhile now I have tried to live life from the centredness at the core of my being.  When I can do that, I feel a deep sense of peace and content.  Life is easy.  Life is vibrant and full of all kinds of possibilities and opportunities.  But it's not always easy to do.  Life happens and sometimes I get caught up in all that's going on and forget to keep centred.  Last week was a good example.

I am doing a lot of homework for a weekend course that I'm taking soon.  The date of the course is creeping up on me so I'd like to get it all done before I go.  I'm also taking an online course through the community college - an introductory course to a program I purchased to format my books, etc.  I have agreed to do some work for the place where I used to be employed.  Monday night I came home from a meeting of a community group I am involved in, with a long list of things to do.  The Scotties curling was also on TV and for the first time in many years I am able to watch it.  So Tuesday morning I set out to accomplish something on my long, long list of things to do.  I tried one thing, and I just couldn't focus on it.  It just wasn't working.  I tried something else and the same thing - I just couldn't concentrate.  Then it was time for a curling game so I put the list aside to sit and watch the game.  But I wasn't even enjoying the curling -- my mind was too busy thinking about all the things I needed to do and the short period of time I had to do it all!  I finally realized this and simply said to myself - "It's okay to watch and enjoy the curling, everything will get done in its own time."  Just that one simple statement, giving myself permission to enjoy the curling game while I had the opportunity, was all it took.  I felt myself relax and a deep sense of peace and contentment settle over me.  The list and all the things on it disappeared from my mind to leave it clear and quiet.  I totally enjoyed that curling game and all the others the rest of the week.

This is what my mind felt like at first - cluttered with all kinds of things.

This is my mind after I gave myself permission to enjoy the curling.

Everything seemed to work itself out after that.  In between games I did a few little things that were important to get done right away.  I realized that a lot of the things on the list I had brought home from the meeting, really didn't need to be done for another month.  I sent an email and received a week's extension on a deadline for the other work I had agreed to do.  The online course only sends out two lessons a week and each lesson only takes me about an hour or two at the most to complete, so I really had lots of time to get them done. 

It happened again in another area of my life as well.  I love to walk and be out in nature.  The last couple of winters I have had pneumonia so haven't been able to get outside and walk as much.  Our house has no windows that the sun can get in so I can't even sit in the sun.  I was bemoaning these facts to myself one day and feeling really bad about it, when the thought popped into my head - "You are your own jailer."  WHAT?!?!?  I thought about it for a moment and decided that thought was right!  I was going to go out for a walk with my dog!  It was a nice day, sunny and a bit warmer than it has been and I wasn't going to cough (which was what had happened every time I went outside up to that point).  So I bundled up, put Sandy (our dog) on her leash and set out.  It was only about a fifteen minute walk but boy, did it feel good!!  I had almost forgotten how much I enjoy that cool refreshing air on my face and just being outside.  It was awesome!  And I didn't cough, not even once!  I've been out for a walk almost every day since, and plan to go as often as I can, if only for ten or fifteen minutes. 

Here is the lake with the beautiful valley hills in the background where we often walk.  What a breathtaking view!  It fills my heart and feeds my soul!!




Below is another part of the path home from the lake that we often take.  Sandy likes to wander off ahead of me.

These two incidents have made me realize how wonderful it is to live from the centredness at the core of my being.  I certainly hope I can continue to do this.

Calling Lakes Centre Serenity

I'm at Calling Lakes Centre for the weekend.  This beautiful, peaceful place snuggled into the hills of the Qu'Appelle Valley.  As I go outside for a walk this afternoon, the serenity of the surroundings permeate my being, filling every cell in my body with contentment, peace, tranquility.

 I notice the gentle breeze lifting the yellow leaves from the tree branches, sending them dancing down to the earth.  The crisp cool air clears my head and I am even more aware of the world around me.

The water laps lightly onto the rocks at the edge of the lake.  The gentle rhythm resonates throughout my entire body.  The sun tries hard to shine through the clouds and the flowers valiantly hold their heads up despite the cold temperatures, speaking to me of resilience and determination.  The tweeting and chirping of the birds in the trees fills me with gladness and joy.  They feel like kindred spirits.

I just want to sit here amongst this beauty, absorbing all of its peaceful, life-giving energy.  I am one with all things.  At one with the whole universe.  I am.