Peace at Home

Gifts

by William Ward

 

On the day of your birth

You were given gifts,

The seeds of your own will,

To sow upon the Earth,

That through your work

The seeds might grow

Into a fruitful garden

Protected by the Tree of Life

Whose branches hold up Heaven.

 

Now your roots grip solid ground,

Glad to be alive.

Your head bears a golden crown

Like the sun that lights the sky.

Your breath weaves in and out

Like the ocean tides,

As the fountain of your heart

Sings the song of life.

 

You crossed the rainbow bridge,

You left your Heavenly home

To walk the green, fruitful Earth

Beneath the starry dome.

You know this is the place

To give your gifts away,

Scattering them like golden seeds

Unfolding every day.

Seed-deeds ripen beneath the sun

Rooted in fertile will

To become the Bread of Life

When the seeds are milled.

 

For the past few years we, as a family, have done something special and unique to honor the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. We've hosted several fundraisers, visited the animals at our local shelter, cooked a meal for our neighbors in need, and last year we made a simple Peace Tree to honor the peace that lives within us all; the peace that is yearned for across all borders. This year, it has been my greatest intention to create more peace at home. With 7 people under one roof, a myriad of chores that never get done, stress about school, home school, stress about the world outside our door, fears etc. sometimes our home can seem a bit harried. The thing about blogs is that you can only give a small glimpse into the window of your life. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but most blogs I read (including my own) portray the positive glories of their life. Sometimes, reality sneaks in and we shine a different light, but all in all......we highlight the wonderful, beautiful, glorious moments of our home and our life with our families! And rightfully so! We have so much to celebrate within our days that, by all means, we should shout it from the roof tops! But.....what about those other moments. You know, the ones where you have to bite your tongue so hard in order to keep a harsh word hidden or maybe not? What about those moments when we are at our weakest, our most vulnerable, those moments when we throw our hands up in surrender? Those deep, dark moments when our peace is taken from us......

 

Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take,
Let this be my solemn vow;
To take each moment and
live each moment
In peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.

~ excerpt from Let There Be Peace on Earth

By many strides, we are quite peaceful. We laugh, we sing, we play, we spend beautiful time  together. We also argue, yell, cry, and say hurtful things to each other. We are not unlike any other family......the thing is, I would like to see us building up our foundation for a deeper connection to each other, a deeper level of respect for each other, a shared vision of our family culture and the impact we'd like it to have within our community. My goal for this weekend is to acknowledge those dark moment we have together and to introduce a simple way to cultivate more peace at home.

 

In an effort to create a space, free from worry and noise, I've dedicated a small corner of our bedroom, for anyone who wishes to use it, as the Quiet Corner. Here they will find a small rug for sitting, books that are peaceful and kind, cards I've made with words (for those of us who can read) to sit and meditate on, and cards with pictures for the littles to sit and think about. There is a candle, a rocking chair, and a notebook where those of us who sit in that space can write or draw about whatever comes up for them. It's a sit-spot, placed right next to our biggest window where you can see the sheep meadow, our beautiful apple tree, and listen to the many birds that live among it. It's the perfect natural vista to contemplate the many things that make noise in our minds. This quiet spot is where one can just be and release and accept all that is or isn't. This is my way of bringing more peace into our home so that we can fully use our gifts out in the world. My hope is that this safe space will allow each of us to cultivate that inner stillness which will open our hearts to our greater selves.

 

Like the poem above "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me."

 

We, as a family, have many "seed-deeds" we wish to accomplish in this lifetime but first, we owe it to ourselves to know the deepness that peace has to offer us, within our own hearts. SO! For this weekend before we celebrate the life of  Martin Luther King, Jr. we will celebrate and honor our life's work as a family. Then, on Monday, we will embark on a journey through own little village and bring some of what we may experience together to others. This is our way of bringing peace to our greater home. On Monday I will post our plan for the day....stay tuned :)

 

 

How do you cultivate peace within your family culture?  I'd love to hear how xo