It is such a busy and rushed world these days. Summer is now upon us,
the kids are out of school and we have plans, plans, plans.
I
raised my sons in a very rural part of Virginia. We were transplants
and hadn't been there long. We didn't have a lot of connections or
social engagements. A lot of our summers were spent doing very simple
things. We took walks, we played with various toys, we listened to the
insects singing in the evening and we had fun with the sprinklers and
our dog. Many times, I let my oldest son go out into the rather thick
woods next to our home, it was called 'Black Forest Estates' for good
reason. He had many an adventure, but thankfully never got hurt.
All
in all it was very relaxing. Don't get me wrong, we also had camp, play
dates, baseball practice and other fun things. I'm just saying that
every single section of our months weren't planned with big engagements
and vacations.
When asked what his favorite part of the
summers were, my oldest talks about the things above. He talks about
when I spent time with him, his time having adventures in the woods and
times spent together as a family.
Now he's in the
National Guard at Officers Training School. And when he's done with his
day, he likes to go and commune with nature. He loves hiking, hunting
and fishing. All of these activities are done alone and in the quiet of
nature.
I am an undiagnosed, but most likely ADD adult,
who is very distracted by noises, comings, goings, hustle, and bustle. I
must get away for a period of time each day to get a breather from it
all. I have done this for a long time now, have made my own ritual. My
dog, Evee, is an essential part of my present routine. I go on hikes
with her, away from the well-traveled trails of the local park. We go
out where fewer people venture. Less traveled, probably, because there
is wild life and one can never predict what one will come upon when
you're out so far. But my dog is a companion and she is a protector. We
help each other. I walk her daily and she protects me as I take a few
minutes in our travels to stop, sit, meditate and pray. It gives me
strength and fuels my creativity and my plans. I know there is an inner
voice that I am able to hear, listen to, and then to follow. A very wise
man and esteemed apostle said:
If
you don't have a time during your day to just stop and be at one with
silence, with the intent to listen to your calm, still, inner voice, I
highly suggest you try it. Try going out on a walk, in the early morning
or late evening. Find a nice, quiet place to sit for a few minutes. If
you aren't too distracted by things around your home, find a quiet place
specifically for quiet reflection and meditation. Set it up with
whatever you need to sustain calm, focused, thought. Spend at least
10-15 minutes thinking about calm things. Let the thoughts be healing
and positive in nature. Focus on your relationship with God. Pray, if
that is in your practice. You will be enriched after you make it a part
of your routine. You will
begin to crave it, because of the strength and focus it brings into
your life.
____________________
I
like to take a break from the regular routine on Sundays. It gives me a
chance to clear my head, re-set priorities and appreciate the many
blessings I've been given. I rest, reflect, and I try to find
ways to inspire me to be a better mom, wife, Christian, and person.
Sundays are my day to take a short sabbatical! If you have a post that
you'd
like to share that is a little different from the ordinary weekday post,
feel free to link up here! We'd love to have you! Although I don't
ask anyone to follow anyone else or promote, I'd love it if you'd leave a
comment! Of course anyone is more than welcome to check out
the other links and sites! That's what you do on a Sabbatical!
Last week, a friend at work shared a tragic event in his family's life. His cousin from Nebraska, a star high school football player, on a full-ride scholarship, I'm told, committed suicide. He had it all. But even guys being recruited to big-time schools can be bullied, apparently. It's been two weeks since he shot himself, leaving behind grieving family, friends, and a confused hometown. A college will be offering a scholarship to someone else, not their first choice. But #8 will never be forgotten. How very sad. It goes to show that bullying knows no boundaries--no amount of talent, or lack of it, no demographic, religion, gender, race, social status or zip code can claim safety. Below is an actual picture of the boy who was somehow targeted and bullied to the point that he felt he had to take his own life.
If bullying knows no boundaries, how can you prepare your child to be a survivor of the inevitable? I personally remember being bullied in all grades. In grade school, there were other groups of girls who would specifically target someone by looks and then try to bully them. It was easy back then. I would just run home. I didn't ride the bus, so I didn't have to put up with craziness there. In Jr. high school, it was just a matter of being accepted by a bigger group of peers than were in elementary school. It was hard to find people at lunchtime who I wanted to be with or, conversely, wanted to be with me. I'm not gonna lie, I spent some lonely times during that period of my life. And in high school, if you let yourself get too far out of your element, you could definitely be prey to an outside group. I found myself alone in the locker room one day, when two girls of different race and background came in. They saw a chance to get even for every wrong ever committed to them in this lifetime, it seemed, and their revenge was heaped upon me. They got me cornered and started throwing shampoo bottles, bars of soap and brushes at me. One hit me in the face. As they approached even closer, I didn't wait to find out what would happen next. I exited through the closest doors I saw and headed out toward the pool with the swimming class. I hung out there for an indefinite period of time. I didn't tell anyone though. I didn't want the attention, I didn't want the hassle and I didn't want to appear weak. But that's where I was wrong. If someone is bullied, they need to tell someone. Preferably someone in authority, but if not, just someone they trust. You may need that person to provide witness or just having some support is invaluable!
One of the most important things is to teach your child anti-bullying behavior. Many bullies have been victims themselves. If children are bullied in the home, they will probably act out of the home. If you suspect you are the parent of a bully, you can start helping them to help others through volunteering and sharing. Teaching them to be tolerant of others who are different is really important. After all, in America, you're always going to get different. But that is what we are supposed to exemplify--tolerance to everyone. In other words:
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Welcome to #MyPost Monday! It's
all about original content from bloggers who care
to share what is on their minds--from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to
Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain! I open up
with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's
best original content! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes,
and
knows. If
I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up
and share
it with you
here and on Twitter (maybe even Facebook and Instagram as well) via the #MyPostMonday hashtag! It's like
being featured! I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!
So, in addition,
if you'd like to link up yourself while the linky is open that week, you can do that too! I'll visit your
site, comment, promote and publicize! Remember, any link to your posts
helps your blog numbers
increase! (Affiliate links welcome!)
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