{my girl, doing her thing, totally unprompted
on the playground with children running all around her...}
We're talking about Easter and favorite parts of the holiday, and he tells us his least favorite part is church. And he asks to stay home. Across the table Lucas and I look at each other knowingly and tell him that we will go to church with his grandparents because it's important to them and it's important to us to be together. And we support those we love. We tell him he can bring a book. "Yeah, mom, but I better not bring the bird one that makes all the sounds. That wouldn't go over too well." We all laugh.
We've had a lot of spiritual conversations recently. I find them difficult to navigate at times, as I'm on my own spiritual journey that isn't conventional and doesn't follow a path except the one that is perfect for me. It winds and is curvy and has hills and mountains and valleys, and I rest when necessary. But ultimately I walk it willingly. The kids see me meditating, and they are aware of many different beliefs, they read Buddha Bedtime stories and they look at their children's bible when they feel led. My girl, especially, wants to know about what people believe. What I believe. It's hard to say.
We have conversations about how Grammy believes this, and Grampy believes that, and Grandma and Papa believe this, and their uncle believes in something called humanism... and we accept it all. Daddy might align most with Taoism. Mommy has a hard time with labels, but believes in love and the universe and that we are all connected. We are all one, and part of each other, and we all have this light in us that we each need to honor. To respect. To accept. Mommy calls that Spirit or God {depending on the day}, Daddy might call it something else. And that's okay. It's all okay as long as we love each other.
A modern spiritual family... that's what I feel we are. We have the big conversations and answer questions as best we can and sometimes saying I don't know is the perfect answer. We are all on this journey, separate but together with lines of communication and hearts way open.
Namaste.