Hello there,
Year on year my life seems to pass more quickly... well of course it does, I suppose, because each year is representing a percentage of your actual age... so if you are fifty, then each year passing represents a mere fiftieth of your life ... whereas when you were five each year was a whole fifth!! So if you are even older than that.... my goodness, ... imagine how fast the years go by when you are fast approaching ninety?!
The reason I'm dwelling on the passing of time is not due to fast approaching senility, it is because it was my second grandson's christening ceremony yesterday. My son decided to invite some of the older generation (i.e. friends of mine, and his dad's), who have always been around as he was growing up. Oh how much I enjoyed conversations with my old friends... that's friends from a long time, not friends who are old (phew, glad we cleared that one up.... you never know who might be reading!!) Not least because I was able to introduce my husband so that he could put faces to names again, but also because it is during 'catch-up' sessions with friends from the past that one gets a real sense of belonging.
Belonging..... to a particular group of like-minded people, to an era full of memories of children growing up and playing together, to a particular generation, to one's own family, and the greater family of humanity itself.
I remember very clearly being told as a child that I was part of God's family. That we are all God's children, and that as our Father, He loves us all. Yesterday as my son, his wife and the godparents were invited, and agreed, to introduce our precious and beautiful new member of our family, Nicolas Benjamin, into the family of the Catholic Church I became very aware of the profound human need to belong.
I am not Catholic myself, and neither are my children. But my daughter in law is, and it was for her sake that my son agreed that Nicolas would be baptised into her faith. Because she needed her children to belong to her family faith. I understand that.
Each time I start a new series of classes or a new spiritual development group, something happens. Subtly, after a short term together we have formed a bond of acceptance and friendship, a unity, a closeness which is hard to express in words, a kind of family. It has happened for a few years now, group after group have remained friends after the classes finish. Some people are like that, aren't they?
My husband says I am like a pied piper character bringing people together who then become friends. Hopefully I lead them a little way along a path of self-discovery... until they find a journey which suits them, and then I go off whistling another magical tune for the next merry band of friends.
Amusingly I wonder if my own sense of needing to belong is what attracts me to forming groups... Having been brought up an only child, of an only child, we don't have a big family (to say the least)and yet I now know so many people, for whom I have a genuine lasting affection.
One theory is that we are always born into and alongside our soul group. Therefore as we move along through life the stronger our own sense of self-awareness, and the higher our personal vibration the more attractive we become to the other members of our soul group. We find them, and they find us as we are brought together on the same path to interact, mutually support, befriend and love.
How do we know we are with our soul group? Because we have a sense of having known them all our life. There are aspects of their purpose which resonate with us deeply. There is an understanding, an empathy which enables and empowers us. We feel as if we belong in relationship with one another... for whatever reasons, it just feels right!.
Just recently a lovely email came round the circuits again, telling us that we are in relationships for a reason, and a season. Sometimes our relationships are to teach us something and they are over as soon as we have learned whatever it was (or not! In which case the lesson will be repeated, until we finally 'get it') and sometimes the relationship lasts a life time. The second kind is usually because you have chosen to be with this person/soul/lesson for the duration of your (this time)family life!
Ah, yes that's where I believe I came in to this little ramble, ... yesterday we were invited to make Nicolas a member of the family of the Church.
But today I want to welcome you to 'this' family ... a family of those of us who have been touched by the angels in some small (or huge) way. all of us who have opened their hearts, rolled up their sleeves, re-membered who they are, pledged to make a difference, finding their soul group ... realising they, and we all belong to the same family after all.
We are all one. Children, adults, male,female, old and young, whatever colour, creed, faith or culture. We are all one!
One of the greatest spiritual teachers, ever, once told his followers that in order to arrive in the Kingdom of Heaven we should become like children. To become like children.
What fun! How marvellous! It's like imagining playing a huge game of 'Angel tag'. Oh let's join in and play.
As I touch your heart, in some small way, so you touch someone else's ... and the game grows! With joy, and laughter, and light, and love!
Lets bring the joy and laughter and love into our family life that we would all love to see in our immediate families, and those around us. We know we can do it for one another, after all ... we're family!
Blessings in abundance,
Chrissie
Tuesday 21 September 2010
Monday 6 September 2010
Oh my poor back!
Hello friends,
I searched my mind for a suitable title for this blog but the pain in my lower back restricted my imagination and so there you have it..... the back gets the title!
I have to say it was the most ridiculous thing to do.... How can you sit on a piece of gym equipment leaning slightly backwards, with both feet at waist height and then leaning over to the side to a two year old child, reach across and lift her onto your lap.... without doing yourself an injury?
Wait, I'll qualify that question, how can you do that without injury unless you are in peak condition and under fifty? (Unless you are either forgetful of years... or deluded!)
The consequence has been a badly torn set of large muscles in my back from ribcage to pelvis.... Which has caused me a great deal of discomfort( on many levels) and food for thought.
My local (and extremely trustworthy) holistic osteopath, Angus, struck a chord when he asked me what I believed the injury to be about. At first I suggested my usual response to back pain, which is a feeling or a belief of 'lack of support'.
The longer and more deeply we talked, the brighter the light bulb began to shine into the dark recesses of my very soul. Aha, this is not actually about support,in fact I am very well supported on physical and spiritual levels ... but this is far more about the issue of trust. (And, I'm not talking about trusting angels, or God, this time)
By the time we reach mid to late adulthood it is pointless to carry on blaming the past (over and over again) for our behaviour patterns and our insecurities. I'm sure that very few of us have had what we 'think' is a perfect childhood, (even though it was - at some level - perfect for us, or can fondly look back to our parents knowing that none of their own issues leached through their parenting skills into us. But although it may have valid reasons how long can we go on using that as an excuse?
There comes a time when we have to fully accept personal responsibility of every thought, word, action and outcome for our own life. Yes, of course the things our parents, partners, friends, siblings, workmates, teachers etc etc did and said have left deep rooted imprints in our memories. This will have translated into behaviour patterns and belief systems which form who we are... and if we keep going even further back to previous lifetimes we will be adding all of that 'stuff' into the personality mix as well.
And so, there comes a time... Doesn't there?... When we have to take a long cool look at who we have become and, without any blame or guilt, accept who we are. Then, in truth, love every bit of us, warts and all, including the things we would like to change.
Now, here comes the bit about 'trust'.
After a lifetime of 'learning' that it may be difficult (for whatever reason)to fully trust other people... how about recognising that the reason for this may be a lack of trust in ones-self?
Now before you cut me off in a flurry of indignation reaffirming that you are completely trustworthy, impeccably honest, and never in a million years would you knowingly let anyone down (without good enough reason)... I'm talking about trusting yourself with yourself.
How many times (honestly) do you make a promise to yourself, and then break it? But I'll bet that breaking a promise is an anathema to you!
Do you ever agree with yourself to give something up, but don't?
How many times do you make a decision to take better care of yourself,(i.e. more sleep, better food, less alcohol etc) and then don't?
All the above batters the self-esteem. Did you know that?
How can we feel so unimportant that we are unable to keep promises to our self? I don't know the answer to that. Sadly, I admit that I seem to do it all the time. But thanks to a back injury all that is changing as of now!
What a revelation, after all these years to suddenly realize that it is time to learn to trust myself.
Certainly I shall continue to try and be as reliable and dependable to family and friends as I have always been. I have been born with a soul mission to serve, and nothing will change that.
But, now I am beginning to understand that I must also serve my body, train my own mind, and nurture my own soul. Others may help... and they do, for which I am truly grateful. But my sense of fierce independence and 'need to please' has become back shaped (no pun on pears now please!) and it is time to listen to it!
Can you trust yourself?
Be good to yourself too. Next time you tell yourself you are going to do something, do it! Don't make a promise to yourself that you may not be able to keep.... you wouldn't do that to a child would you? And the child within gets just as disappointed.
Well I'm off to sunny Crete tomorrow, so I promise myself I am definitely going to rest my back in the afternoons... oh and allow the inner child to experience kept promises!
Lots of love,
Chrissie
I searched my mind for a suitable title for this blog but the pain in my lower back restricted my imagination and so there you have it..... the back gets the title!
I have to say it was the most ridiculous thing to do.... How can you sit on a piece of gym equipment leaning slightly backwards, with both feet at waist height and then leaning over to the side to a two year old child, reach across and lift her onto your lap.... without doing yourself an injury?
Wait, I'll qualify that question, how can you do that without injury unless you are in peak condition and under fifty? (Unless you are either forgetful of years... or deluded!)
The consequence has been a badly torn set of large muscles in my back from ribcage to pelvis.... Which has caused me a great deal of discomfort( on many levels) and food for thought.
My local (and extremely trustworthy) holistic osteopath, Angus, struck a chord when he asked me what I believed the injury to be about. At first I suggested my usual response to back pain, which is a feeling or a belief of 'lack of support'.
The longer and more deeply we talked, the brighter the light bulb began to shine into the dark recesses of my very soul. Aha, this is not actually about support,in fact I am very well supported on physical and spiritual levels ... but this is far more about the issue of trust. (And, I'm not talking about trusting angels, or God, this time)
By the time we reach mid to late adulthood it is pointless to carry on blaming the past (over and over again) for our behaviour patterns and our insecurities. I'm sure that very few of us have had what we 'think' is a perfect childhood, (even though it was - at some level - perfect for us, or can fondly look back to our parents knowing that none of their own issues leached through their parenting skills into us. But although it may have valid reasons how long can we go on using that as an excuse?
There comes a time when we have to fully accept personal responsibility of every thought, word, action and outcome for our own life. Yes, of course the things our parents, partners, friends, siblings, workmates, teachers etc etc did and said have left deep rooted imprints in our memories. This will have translated into behaviour patterns and belief systems which form who we are... and if we keep going even further back to previous lifetimes we will be adding all of that 'stuff' into the personality mix as well.
And so, there comes a time... Doesn't there?... When we have to take a long cool look at who we have become and, without any blame or guilt, accept who we are. Then, in truth, love every bit of us, warts and all, including the things we would like to change.
Now, here comes the bit about 'trust'.
After a lifetime of 'learning' that it may be difficult (for whatever reason)to fully trust other people... how about recognising that the reason for this may be a lack of trust in ones-self?
Now before you cut me off in a flurry of indignation reaffirming that you are completely trustworthy, impeccably honest, and never in a million years would you knowingly let anyone down (without good enough reason)... I'm talking about trusting yourself with yourself.
How many times (honestly) do you make a promise to yourself, and then break it? But I'll bet that breaking a promise is an anathema to you!
Do you ever agree with yourself to give something up, but don't?
How many times do you make a decision to take better care of yourself,(i.e. more sleep, better food, less alcohol etc) and then don't?
All the above batters the self-esteem. Did you know that?
How can we feel so unimportant that we are unable to keep promises to our self? I don't know the answer to that. Sadly, I admit that I seem to do it all the time. But thanks to a back injury all that is changing as of now!
What a revelation, after all these years to suddenly realize that it is time to learn to trust myself.
Certainly I shall continue to try and be as reliable and dependable to family and friends as I have always been. I have been born with a soul mission to serve, and nothing will change that.
But, now I am beginning to understand that I must also serve my body, train my own mind, and nurture my own soul. Others may help... and they do, for which I am truly grateful. But my sense of fierce independence and 'need to please' has become back shaped (no pun on pears now please!) and it is time to listen to it!
Can you trust yourself?
Be good to yourself too. Next time you tell yourself you are going to do something, do it! Don't make a promise to yourself that you may not be able to keep.... you wouldn't do that to a child would you? And the child within gets just as disappointed.
Well I'm off to sunny Crete tomorrow, so I promise myself I am definitely going to rest my back in the afternoons... oh and allow the inner child to experience kept promises!
Lots of love,
Chrissie
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