Walk With me on Our Journey: Thinking of Children and we ourselves as God's Children! What we need to teach and remind ourselves of as children too.

Dear Family of Love,

I hope everyone has been enjoying Self Care Saturday. Today and for the past few days I have been thinking about many things and not as in ALICE IN WONDERLAND," To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--Of cabbages--and kings--" that we should be teaching our children and we ourselves need to be reminded of. Here is my list and maybe you have your own list.

We all need to instill in our children empathy and sympathy and teach them compassion. This starts early.

We must teach them how to be compassionate, learn to forgive, learn how to say they are sorry with sincerity.

We must teach them not to fear others who are different than themselves.

We all need to teach our children attitudes of gratitude and not be given to a sense of entitlement/

We all need to teach and show our children how to care and be gentle to all of God's living creatures.

We must teach our children to be helpers and compassionate and caring givers.

We all need to teach our children how to look on the least of the these as family members.

We need to teach them how to be kind and gentle.

We need to give them courage to have curiosity.

We need to teach them and show them to appreciate God's Cathedral of Life and play outdoors.

We need to show them that they don't need to rely solely on technology and to think for themselves and give them as in the Episcopal Baptismal Rite in one of the prayers found on page 308 of the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER " Give them
an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to
persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy
and wonder in all your works. Amen."

We all must care for every child as if they are our own and protect them from harm for we were children too.

We all must recapture imagination and dreaming and yes find our way back into childhood.

We must teach our children and ourselves to see and treat everyone with dignity, respect, inclusion, and acceptance. No Need to Teach and instill fear, hate, mistrust, and prejudice.

We all must give into whimsy, play, and fun. Live, Love, Laugh!

We all must practice being thankful and giving thankfully. Give from the heart !

We all must respect each other from a place of where we are, and who we are, and that we are the beautiful children God created us to be.

We must take time to re-unite and re-connect with our loved ones who have fallen through the cracks.

We all must not be self-focused and teach our children the same by speaking not I but We and We not they.

We must teach ourselves and our children to learn how to ask for help, companionship, and courage to speak up for themselves and others.

If we are in a faith community we need to tell our young ones about how our faith sustains us and live by example.
We must show our children and all our family members how to love, receive love, and love themselves as we love them with a heart that is joyful, loving, hopeful, peaceful, generous, and most of all compassionate and accepting.

What is on your "Teach the Children Well" List? Here is a reminder from the musical "South Pacific"
Mandy Patinkin- You've got to be carefully taught

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God we pray that we may find our way back to having a childlike trust in you.

God we pray for all children young and old in Ferguson, The Diocese of Missouri, that they may be safe to night and that everywhere in this your fragile and broken world that all lives matter.

God we pray for all of our family members who are struggling and feeling overwhelmed.

God we pray for all who travel that they may be alert and safe whatever mode of transportation they take.

God we pray for ourselves and those who are coping with seasonal illnesses and all other illnesses of body, mind, and spirit.

God we pray for all children who are being abused, bullied, marginalized, and made to feel invisible because of any kind of disability.

God we pray for all those who grieve losses and those who are pre-grieving. May we be sources of compassion, comfort, and love.

God we pray for peace in this fragile and broken world. May wars, terror, and all division cease.

God we pray this night for all caregivers and especially our troops who protect our country both here and around the world. We pray also for all those who work for the Department of State.

God we pray for all those who are living with mental and memory related illnesses and those who care for them.

God we pray for the least of these who are our family members too. We pray that they may find shelter, clothing, and food. May we always see You in their eyes.

God we pray for all who are engaging in peaceful non-violent protests. May they be safe and may they know that this is what they are called to do.

God we pray for ourselves and on behalf of all our family members of love who have come to us asking for prayer____________________

We lift up these our prayers in the Holy Name of Jesus. Amen.

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Good Night Family of Love. I love you and give glad thanks to God for you this night and always.
May you awaken refreshed to enjoy the Sabbath day of Rest. May God fill you with love, joy, hope, peace, and gladness this night.

Love, peace, hope, joy, and God's Blessings!

Sara