Family
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Hi Reader, I went home for a few days recently. My family home. My parents still live in the house I grew up in. It is a house filled with memories, and love. The same chair where I sat on my Mums knee as an infant, that I now sit in with my daughter when we visit. The dining room where my family shared Christmas meals after opening gifts. The bedroom I shared with my older sister. Every square inch of the house is crammed with memories. As is the village it is located in. And going there I feel the love and strength that the wealth of memories gives me. It is a mental recharge. A reset of me as I was. And helps me remember who I am. The impact of this recent visit was so strong it made me consider the effect of family division. If you can draw so much strength from a visit to your family home. Imagine the personal and collective impact of a family divided. This is a topic close to my heart as a single parent. I often ponder the full impact of divorced parents on a child or children, no matter how cordial the parental relationship remains. Between family there is an unseen bond that gives us strength, almost as if it has been woven into a tapestry. Or set in stone. Family fosters a collective well-being that deserves our respect - for the sake of ourselves, and all of our family members. And separation, divorce, or discord does not change that. If there is a divide in your family, any divide, do everything you can to mend it. Through resolution or acceptance. Focus on the light, always, Natalie Attenborough |
Focus on the Light
Hi Reader, This week I completed a task long overdue that had presented me with a level of risk. I was aware of the need to complete the task for sometime however have only now been able to achieve it. On completion I was surprised to notice a palpable shift in perspective. I felt significantly lighter. I hadn't realised how much worry I had been carrying over this job. I thought I had accepted the unavoidable delay without consequence to my mental state. It reminded me that when we carry a...
Hi Reader, The Dalai Lama teaches that anger is a weakness, and counsels never to act or make a decision when in an angry state. While passionate feelings may inspire great deeds, no good comes from anger. I am generally an agreeable person. Though we all get angry at times. When angry, my natural response is to try and rationalise the situation. But my reasoning is flawed by the negative emotion, and I always, and I mean always, either make things worse or hurt others or myself. So now, when...
Hi Reader, When I became a parent I was given one piece of advice that I found particularly useful. Never compare your child to others. As a first time parent it can be easy to question your own methods. And by comparing your child to others, conclude you are getting it wrong. But as we know, every child is different. So I chose not to compare mine to others, particularly for significant milestones such as crawling, walking and potty training. And I let my daughter proceed at her own pace....