Saturday, December 31, 2016

Creating Peace in the Family


As the year draws to a close and the world prays for peace on earth even amidst the worst devastation in decades I look inward and wish for peace in the family.  Of course I hope for peace in the world, among friends and colleagues, in neighbourhoods and so forth but when all is said and done the influence on and in the family is the strongest.  As I went through the latest meditation with Deepak and as I review the notes I took over the 21 days I feel grateful to know these are both profound and simple steps to making our everyday lives plain, simple and peaceful.
Christmas time can be both lovely, happy and connecting but it can also create high expectations that could be dashed through simple misunderstandings, carelessness or thoughtlessness for, by or to others.  It takes true inner understanding and strength to let go of disappointment and move forward into a new year with solid resolutions for peace and goodwill toward all.
I am from a family with strong personalities, deep convictions and loud voices.  When we get together we can be a little overpowering to non-family members, in-laws and friends alike.  As we get older I sometimes think about an article Ann Landers wrote wherein she excused herself for cutting off other people because she got over-excited and needed to make her point.  The fact of the matter was that she was entering middle age and from personal experience I think we suddenly forget our manners because we are so afraid of forgetting what we were going to say!  I’ve had to give myself many a mental shake to stop cutting other people off by saying to myself “Ann Landers moment”.  I am not cured and my siblings are so not cured but occasionally we will create rules for ourselves taken from “Lord of the Flies”.  Hey, I have the conch now; or I am ringing the bell, or I have the feather.  Sometimes it works but mostly we just raise our voices an octave higher.  It doesn’t help that some of the siblings are getting a little deaf and others are menopausal.
Oh to be on high as the eldest and the most evolved.  And not one of my siblings can trump “I have the most life experience”.  Dad used to kill me with that one but now I am the one holding that particular card.
Gotcha. 
And may you have Peace on Earth.  J

No comments:

Post a Comment