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no nobler deed than education of children

O ye loving mothers, know ye that in God's sight, the best of all ways to worship Him is to educate the children and train them in all the perfections of humankind; and no nobler deed than this can be imagined.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 138)

Today I am filled with gratitude at my fortune of being a mother. This above quote brings me a sense of inspiration and purpose that even though being a loving and educative mother is not easy, striving to train my daughter in the perfections of humankind fulfills me in a way no other job could.

This quote mentions God. My belief is that God is the Higher Power, the Creator, the Divine Maker of the Universe. God is Unknowable to us little humans, the same way that a painting cannot know its painter. God is Love. There is only One God. All religions come from One God. All people are created by One God.

Worshipping God, I believe, is not only for Sundays in the church pews. When we use our talents, skills and capacities to help others, when we work in a spirit of service, this too is worshipping God.

As mothers, whatever our belief system is, whatever our belief in God is, we still have a noble purpose of raising our children to be the best that they can be. When we dedicate ourselves to training our children in the perfections of humankind we are contributing to the betterment of the world.

Today, I wish to acknowledge all you other mothers out there, sacrificing your time and energy to your kids. And I say "Cheers!" to you all. :)

8 Things to Do With Kids on a Cold Saturday

8 Things to Do with your Kids on a Cold Saturday

-Make paper snowflakes and hang them from the windows
-Make cookies
-If there's snow, go tobogganing
-Ice Skating at a local arena
-Visit the Library
-Go for Car Ride (yeah gas has dropped!)
-Write a letter or make a card for a relative and send it in the mail
-Videotape your kids playing or doing something silly

Saturdays have been family fun days for our family ever since I came across the concept from Flylady.

I go through the week so engrossed in work and housekeeping that I don't always get to spend as much time as I'd like with my daughter. So now I make sure that on Saturdays we do something fun and memorable.

Today I'm taking my kiddo to gymnastics and then we are going to the Nineteen Day Feast in the evening (This event is for Baha'is to get together to pray, consult, and eat -- a very nice way to spend an evening for us :) )

Last year, we spent many wintery Saturdays at the Ridgeway arena as Grace learned to skate for the first time. She was 2 1/2 and wore little trainer skates, the kind that strap on. She was really adorable all bundled up in her snowsuit waddling across the ice. When she saw the snow yesterday she asked me if we could go skating and she said "Don't you remember along time ago when we used to go skating? We can go again."

So I guess it works. Family Fun Days do make for good memories! :)

What's with the attitude?

Okay, I have to admit, I find myself saying that to my daughter sometimes. She's three and she's got this new attitude that she can do EVERYTHING all by herself. Some things she can, some things she can't, but it got me to thinking about the power of attitude.

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." ~Herm Albright, quoted in Reader's Digest, June 1995

The beginning of every change in my life and of every success that I've seen has been by first developing the attitude about it that I could achieve that which I set out to do.

First graduating from Niagara, then Queen's, then caring for a newborn premature baby, then opening a home daycare. The obstacles and challenges I've seen have been plenty. But my attitude was always of perseverance and faith.

I know for a fact that my energy and positive attitude did get on hubby's nerves at times. But hey, it was worth it for sure.

What is a life coach?

Put simply, a life coach works with a client to reach goals.

I use a unitive approach to coaching that takes the whole person into consideration, body, mind, and soul.

My belief is that if there is too much stress or pressure on any one element of our life, it will put undue pressure on all elements and throw of the natural balance of our selves.

Some of us have never felt peace and are seeking it, some of us have had peace in our lives before and are seeking to re-discover it.

Our lives are not linear. We have many dimensions of ourselves and we travel up mountains and down into valleys on our life path.

My intention as a life coach is to help guide a person to their own natural state of peace (in whatever way that has meaning for the client) by considering the thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of the client.

If this sounds interesting to you and you would like to learn more about life coaching please post here or email me at wayfarer1977@gmail.com.

Dayspring of Virtues

Out of the muck and mire of confusion and chaos emerges qualities of character that deepen our perception of our authentic selves.

Dayspring is the early dawn, the beginning of a new day. It is the first sign of light that shines over the dark horizon. Dayspring is a symbol of hope.

The Buddha teaches that "Life is Suffering." The wisdom that I have found in this teaching is that the object of our goal should not be to remove those things that create suffering for us, but to change the perception that we have about those things that cause us to suffer. By changing our perceptions we can change our lives and ourselves.

That is not to say that what some people have suffered at the hands of their oppressors is just. It is not just. But in order to create change we must first be the change we wish to see in the world (Ghandi). We must focus on the solution not on the problem and pray for the strength of those souls who continue to suffer unjustly.

In North America, our suffering is mental for many of us have the comforts of food, shelter, and clothing. We suffer from stress, anxiety, depression, etc. These types of sufferings can be overcome with careful attention to the beauty of the world around us and gratitude for the bounties that surround us.

Today I am grateful for my American family and for the opportunity to visit them. And I am grateful for the peace I feel as the dawn of day embraces me.