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Today's
Meditation:
There are many times that I kind of wish that I had
grown up in a relatively functional family, rather than
the completely dysfunctional family in which I spent my
early years of life. I think of opportunities that I
might have had, and I think of stress and anguish that I
wouldn't have had. But I am who I am, and I learned
a lot from being a part of the family that I was born
into, so far be it for me to say that it should have been
different. I'm fine with the person whom I've
become, so I can't spend time regretting something that
never could have or should have been changed.
But I did make sure that when I had a family of my own, I
focused on trying to build up the children, on trying to
encourage them to be themselves rather than trying to
control and manipulate them into being who I wanted them
to be. I tried to foster a sense of belonging, while
at the same time providing a sense of discipline and
respect for others. It's not an easy thing to do, of
course, and I'm sure that I failed in many respects, but
at least I tried to provide some stability that everyone
could count on.
If we are blessed enough to have a family, then we also
have a responsibility to raise individuals who live their
lives in the ways that they see most fit-- not the ways
that we think they should. A family with children
who are manipulated into being anything other than their
authentic selves is less a family than a prison for the
young people who want to find their own ways in life, and
no young person deserves to be born into a prison
environment.
In a true family, the people can depend upon each other
for encouragement, support, love, and compassion.
When people know that they can depend upon these things
when hard times come, they're more likely to be able to
take risks in the world, to contribute to the world in
their own unique and wonderful ways. If we do our
best to provide our family members with a family that
loves and trusts and provides, we're providing a wonderful
service to the world around us, to the people in our
families, and to life.
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