I can hardly believe I wrote this poem 18 years ago. Sean will be 25-years of age in two days and in two months, Angie will be 24-years of age. They are truly my Gifts from God and I am grateful for each moment I share with them whether it is on the phone, email or in person.
Last week I visited my son Sean in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and upon my return my daughter Angie dropped by for a surprise visit. After she left, Cary and I watched the two rallies held in Washington DC; "Reclaiming the Dream" hosted by Al Sharpton and "Restoring Honor" hosted by Glenn Beck. The main message I heard from the "Restoring Honor" speech was that "We the People" (the first line of the United States Constitution) have a responsibility to reflect upon our lives and to examine our hearts and our minds and to determine if we are leaving the world a better place than it is today.
I will take that one step further in relation to our children and that is: We have a responsibility to be role models to our children and their children and to the younger generations. This does not necessarily mean our birth children, but rather the younger generations.
Children: God's Gift to Parents
Who created the children?
It was God, not you or I.
Who trusted us to care for them?
It was He, up in the sky.
God created the children
And put them in our care.
The parents of the little ones
That we might love them and share
All the knowledge we have gained
During the period of our Life.
That we may help them grow and
Teach them how to deal with strife.
The more love and respect
We offer to the children,
The more they will learn
How to give love and when.
They need to see our words in action
So they can copy what to do,
For they are little sponges, who
Will do the same as I and you.
So, be careful how you treat the children,
Both in word and in deed.
Share the love that flows so freely
With the many souls in need.
God honored us, the parents
With the supervision of the little ones.
They are their own individuals
Both the daughters and the sons.
Help the children find their rhythm,
Let's not impose ours on them.
They need the space to develop,
Not our voices to condemn.
Allow them room to become
All God intended them to be,
So they may experience beauty
In absolutely everything they see.
Written with love and adoration for Sean and Angie,
my Gifts from God 1992
I believe our children are craving role models today. Who do they have to look up to? As parents, we should be the ones they look up to. I believe that as a society, we have failed them and I think it is time for us to reclaim our responsibility as role models. There is a lot of talk today about how little respect there is in the world. Well, respect begins with the self. If we learn to respect ourselves, then our children can see what respect looks like rather than being told to respect someone else. How can they be expected to respect others if they do not know what respect looks or feels like? The same goes for love and honor. Do you love yourself? Remember, if you do not love yourself, how can you possibly love another, even your child? Please, think about what this means. We all need to learn to love ourselves so that our children will know what it is to see and feel love, rather than the false sense of love which is portrayed in the media.
Here are a few questions to ponder: Do you live a life of truth? Do you tell your children to do one thing and yet you do another? What kind of shows do you watch on television? What kind of books do your children see you reading? Who do you look up to as role models? Are you aware of your language and the words you use? Are you critical and complaining about life and people in general? Is your behavior the kind of behavior you want your children to emulate? Even if you do not have children or if your children are grown, you can still ask yourself these questions. These may not be easy questions, however, I believe that if there is to be hope for our children in the future, it has to begin with us -- the parents and the adults. Join me on this journey of self reflection to begin the individual healing necessary so that our children will experience love, respect and honor.
With love, light and hope,
Trina