Newsletter Contents
Publisher's Pen: Building Bridges of Hope
“Bridges typify progress more than any other structure built by man.”
Charles Whitney.
Bridges reach over obstacles, close gaps, and open up new routes of communication. What would we do without them? We would be shut out from what is deemed a necessity. The way for a bridge to last is to have its foundations built on the bedrock below the river, as so the bridge to our children’s hearts.
As I travel across New York State conducting workshops, and working primarily with inner city schools on how to be a service to children who need help in reading and math, I see many kids and the people who are tirelessly working to help them be a success in our society. I learn from them every day.
One thing has hit me right between the eyes. Kids have taught me that they are the same everywhere. People are the same everywhere. We all need safety and security, loving relationships, personal power, forgiveness and compassion, freedom of choice, the ability to see the truth versus illusion, and the ability to trust and have faith.
Without these attributes in our lives, we miss the mark. If just one area is off, then the arrow of our life’s purpose can miss its target by a wide margin. As we move in and out of relationships with others through time, we must build bridges to help each other make the mark. I believe there to be seven strong foundations that hold the bridge up, so that it may carry countless streams of human lives to their destinies, their true life purpose.
We are well on our paths, but our children are just beginning their journey into their life purpose. Checking to see where we are in creating strong foundations for our children is the beginning to building bridges to their hearts, and subsequently, to their lives.
May we be in tune with ourselves, checking ourselves daily, weekly, monthly and yearly to create strong foundations. May we then build the bridges to the hearts of our children and find true gold.
Smiles,
Elaine
Empowering Parents and Teachers:
What builds bridges, and what can collapse a bridge? Seven cornerstones of a good foundation:
Foundation 1: We are all human beings connected to one another.
We all need to live with one another in a safe environment.
Different isn’t weird, it’s just different.
Where we live, how we speak, what we wear is just part of being on the planet, like the many different flowers, trees, birds and animals.
Write a paragraph about any of the above three ideas and how it affects you at school or at home.
Foundation 2: We all need loving relationships:
We all need to honor and respect one another.
We can choose our friends. It’s okay not to be friends with someone, but we must conduct ourselves with respect and integrity.
We can choose to follow along with others, or we can speak up for what is right.
Write a paragraph about any of the above three ideas, and what it means to you:
Foundation 3: We all need personal power; self-respect and self-esteem:
I have my own likes and dislikes, and I deserve to be treated well.
I have the power to do anything if I put my mind to it.
I can remain true to myself, no matter what situation I find myself in.
Write a paragraph about yourself:
Foundation 4: We all need to be able to forgive and have compassion:
I know how to forgive myself when I do something wrong.
I know how to forgive others when they do something wrong to me.
I have compassion for others, because I know that I need compassion too.
Write about a time that you had to forgive yourself, someone else, or help someone:
Foundation 5: We all have the freedom of choice:
I can make good choices or bad choices.
I take responsibility for my choices; they have nothing to do with anyone else.
Whatever my dream in life is, I can choose to make it happen or not.
Write about your dream:
Foundation 6: We need to tell the difference between truth and illusion:
I look for the truth in myself, in other people, and in situations that I encounter.
Sometimes I notice when people say one thing and do another.
Sometimes a situation is not as it appears to be, because things are hidden, (like ads about cigarettes).
Write about a time when you discovered the truth about something or someone:
Foundation 7: We need to be able to trust and have faith:
I enjoy the present and I trust in the future.
There are universal sacred truths, whether one is a Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian or Jew, and I respect others’ religious beliefs.
I take time alone to talk to God about the purpose of my life.
Write about someone you know who belongs to a different religion than you, and how some things are the same:
Empowering K.I.D.S. (Kids In Daily Situations):
Sometimes building a bridge requires us to do something that we are not used to doing. It may be talking to someone we don’t know, speaking up for what is right, forgiving someone, or following our dream.
Have you been in any of the following situations? What would you do if it happened to you?
A new kid has come into your classroom, and he is a Muslim. Your teacher has assigned him as your partner, and your friends want you to play tricks on him. What would you do?
You are friends with one of the coolest kids in your class. He decides that one of the other kids is dumb, so he starts to tease him and trip him in the hall when the teacher isn’t looking. You and a few other kids are with him when this happens and they all laugh. What do you do?
You are a boy and you decide that you really would like to study ballet. Your friends all like baseball. What do you do?
You are a girl and you decide that you would like to be a carpenter and build houses one day. Your friends think you won’t ever have a boyfriend because of it. What do you think?
Think about actual situations in which you have been involved. Were you able to do what is right? If not, forgive yourself and move on. Take each situation as it comes, live within the present moment and be true to yourself.
Copyright© 2007 Empowering Kids! All rights reserved.
Articles may be reproduced and freely distributed as long as this footnote is included.
Subscribe at www.empoweringkids.com
