Halloween 2014; a time to reflect
Well my birthday has arrived, yup I am a Boo Baby, a Halloween monster, and of course a little witch. I am used to this every year and I love it. I love my birthday yet this year as it approached I began to feel a little anxious, but excited. 25 seems like such a milestone, a moment to really stop, and realize WHOA! I am about to be a quarter of a century old. I am halfway to fifty. Yikes! I think my friends have done a good job of getting into my head. It really is just another year that I am blessed to live. It is a moment to stop and reflect if the path that I am taking and my daily decisions are helping me or hurting me.
As I've reached 25 and have tried to take a look at my life. I realized that through the different stages of life that we live, and as we mature and gain wisdom little has changed on my perspective to life. I began teaching Kindergarten Catechism (teaching of the Catholic faith) when I was seventeen. Even though, I may have thought that I was teaching those precious children, it was they that have taught some of the most valuable lessons that I try to live everyday.
1. Live Each Day to the Fullest
I have always enjoyed being around children. I used to call myself a "certified babysitter", from how much I was asked to baby sit. Many times after babysitting and after teaching Sunday school I would end up being exhausted from trying to keep up with their energy level. This lesson, though it may have been exhausting to learn was to live each day to the fullest. At the end of their day, most children are exhausted. Exhausted from playing, learning, and growing so much. They truly put 100% effort in each day. They are the hardest working little people I know, solely because they are living each day to the max. I hope to continue to live out this lesson in my life and always give a 100% in my days because the one thing we know as adults is that they are not guaranteed.
2. Have Tantrums, Not Grudges or Hate
As I turn 25, I strive to be like children more and more everyday in their behavior. I truly consider them friends, and treat them each with the respect of any human being. To be completely honest I probably trust them more then many adults. Children do not know what real hate is. They do not hold grudges, at least not the ones I have met. They do not lie with intention to hurt anyone, many times their intentions are good and pure. The lesson here that it is okay to have tantrums now and then. We all have them. We all come to points of frustration, but after our tantrums are over, let go of any anger or hate, and do not hold grudges. Children many times throw tantrums but minutes after they are quick to hug and apologize.
3. Love Unconditionally and Purely
I am mesmerized by children's ability to put their tiny ounce of pride aside and apologize. Their willingness to explain that they lied only to find that their intentions were pure. I am most astounded by their ability to see beyond what is on the outside, and see each other for who they are on the inside. Children do not pick their friends for the color of their skin, their language, income, or economic stability. An observation of mine is that many times as we age, we begin to value people for the materialistic things that they have and offer us, not the genuine person that they are. Over the materialistic things that the world has to offer, and the heartaches that happen to us, many times we continue to let pride into our hearts which is the root of many of our problems. This lesson to love unconditionally and purely is one of the most important ones. If we take this lesson to love unconditionally without expecting anything from anyone in return, with pure love, I think we will find ourselves happier and more fulfilled.
I strongly believe that having a childlike outlook to life is one of the secrets to happiness. They have an amazing way of enjoying life, not really knowing hate, fear, or anguish. For those that surround me as I continue to age I will continue to have tantrums that last seconds, my laughs will be loud and uncontrollable, and my heart like that of a child. I encourage you all to listen to the children around you, you will be surprised how much you can learn from them.They ultimately teach us many lessons that as adults we find more difficult to learn and incorporate into our daily lives.
Scriptures for Reflection
Blessing of the Children, Matthew 19: 13-14Then the children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
Duty to Live in the Light, Ephesians 5: 8-14
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light.
