Here is another quotation from Mary Grant's ‘Cappuccino Moments for Mothers’
‘There is little chance that your child will remember all the things you did for her while she was growing up, but she will remember how it felt growing up as your child. She will receive emotional nourishment from the atmosphere, the fun, the routines, the celebrations and the outings’
Family rituals help to create the atmosphere in our homes. They foster fun, festivities, routines, closeness and spiritual awareness.
Rituals can be simple regular weekly events. On Sunday mornings my husband makes pancakes for breakfast – he has done so for as long as the kids can remember. We are never allowed to change the menu; Sunday morning would not be Sunday morning without them!
Or they can be linked to certain times and events. We are just about to move from Cebu in the Philippines to Hampshire in England. We have moved countries before as a family and we have a ritual that helps us to process the gains and the losses in our transition. A few weeks before we leave we make four posters entitled:
- What we will miss about … country we are leaving
- What we won’t miss about ….. country we are leaving
- What we are looking forward to in ….country moving to
- What we are not looking forward to in….country we are moving to
They are hung up on the wall and can be added to as we think of things during our final weeks. Yesterday I went to get a haircut and realised that this is something I will miss in England. In Asia they really know how to help you relax and feel special with massages, tea, manicures and pedicures in an unhurried atmosphere and all for under 10 quid!
I have found that rituals help in times of transition and I am sure they can help at other times of family stress too.
Please share your own experiences with me and leave a comment – I am keen to hear from you.
Good luck with the transition, Jo!
ReplyDeleteDear Jo,
ReplyDeleteI am running a series of 6 guest posts on my blog next week on the theme, "The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth." You would be uniquely qualified to write one because of your experiences in Asia. I wonder if you might be interested.
Here are the details:
I am doing a new series on my blog dreamingbeneaththespires.blogspot.com from September 12th in which I will be inviting a few guest posts each week on a scriptural verse or idea, and people will be telling their stories and experiences with them/or ideas and interpretations.
I will be focusing on those familiar verses which we love, but whose reality we often have not understood or experienced. For instance, "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength," I will restore the years the locusts have eaten," "You meant it for evil but God meant it for good," "beauty for ashes... streams in the desert," "Everything works out for good," "In everything give thanks," etc. etc.
I want to start with a verse which baffles me, "The meek shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5, Psalm 25:8.) I sense that it is true, but don't understand exactly how. I totally believe that the meek shall inherit the earth because Jesus says they do. However, I cannot rationally see or understand how is true. So this is an instance of blind faith against the evidence of experience or historical observation (which could otherwise be called insanity!!) Is it "eschatologically" true, or "really" true?
Please could you consider writing a paragraph or more for me, explaining your understanding of this verse, and how it works out?
I will post it on my blog with your suggested byline, and a link to your blog and the non-profit or charity of your choice
Please could you send it to me sometime between Tuesday 13 Sept and Sat 17th Sept., and perhaps let me know when to expect it.
Do let me know if you might be able to do it. My email is dreamingbeneaththespires@gmail.com
Thanks much,
Blessings,
Anita
Dreaming Beneath the Spires