Family Wisdom & Love

This week’s quote is from the book, Awakening Through Love, by John Makransky.

Let all the rituals of family life be rediscovered as gestures of wise love. When your child [or partner] wants to share the stores of his/her day, take that chance to be fully present and listen with complete attention. When he tells you about his friends or teachers, quietly extend the radiant wish of deep well-being to include your child’s circle of acquaintances. Do the same when your partner shares stories of the people in his or her life.

Bring the spirit of meditation into leisure time when playing with your children [even your adult children]. Commune with them in the radiance of love and compassion as they deal the cards, take a turn on the game board or toss a ball. In that spirit, when you look into their eyes, your gaze will naturally mirror their essential goodness even without talking.

…When your partner or child says or does something that angers you, avoid acting out your anger in ways that you will later regret. Instead, take a few minutes to recall your practice. If you can, step away for a short time to feel the painful emotions that you are experiencing, to sense what it is like for anyone to experience such feelings. Receive the healing energy of your benefactors’ compassion into your mind and body. Recall how many other parents and partners feel similar difficulty, and let the radiance of compassion extend to them all. Finally merge into oneness with the luminosity, and relax your mind into natural awareness. The care and wisdom evoked by such practice provide what is necessary to respond wisely to your family.

These practices, integrated into your daily life, will allow you to embody the wisdom gained from your practice and create the seeds of awakening in your family and friends.