Newsletter Contents
Publisher's Pen: The Joy of Imagination
“Joy is not in things; it is in us.”
Richard Wagner.
Some people think that joy comes from helping others. Others believe that joy comes from living in the present moment, or being fully engaged in what we are doing. Still, others believe that joy comes from living to our full potential. Albert Einstein believed that it is the supreme art of teachers (and parents) to awaken the joy in creative expression and knowledge.
One story Einstein liked to tell about his childhood was of a "wonder" he saw when he was four or five years old: a magnetic compass. The compass convinced him that there had to be "something behind things, something deeply hidden." His particular note of joy was nurtured by family and friends, a solid education, and his own bold personality.
Let’s allow Albert to speak to us about his note of joy:
"There was this huge world out there, independent of us human beings and standing before us like a great, eternal riddle, at least partly accessible to our inspection and thought. The contemplation of that world beckoned like a liberation." –Albert Einstein
"I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts; the rest are details." -- Albert Einstein
Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." --A. Einstein
"Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as a hard duty." -- Albert Einstein
What lights up your child? What excites them? It may not be quantum physics, but Albert was on to something when he spoke about the joy of imagination and living life as if it were a miracle.
May we allow our children to sound their note of joy, so that their hearts are filled with passion, a passion that sees the miracles in our every day world, whatever that may be.
Smiles,
Elaine
Empowering Parents and Teachers:
Each of us has our own note of joy. How do you sound your note of joy?
Give yourself a challenge: Create journal entries for the following ideas. Take time to relax and think before answering:
1. Think about who you are –what are your positive qualities?
2. What is most important to you?
3. What makes you the most excited?
4. What would you change so that you could be excited more often?
5. What could you say to yourself every day, or what action could you take so that you could stay excited?
Empowering K.I.D.S. (Kids In Daily Situations):
Dare to be joyful. How to fill your life with joy: Start with one experience and build on it.
Joy is an attitude. It is the ability to appreciate yourself and others at the same time. We need to know what excites us and matters to us, but we also need to know how to create an environment that will nurture joy for ourselves.
We do this by looking at the situations that have made us joyful and look for ways to build on those situations.
For example, we could build on a good experience by doing one or more of the following:
Discover if others around us are interested in the same thing.
Attend an event in the area of our interest, or create one if none exists.
Read books about people who are interested in the same thing.
Experiment with our area of interest by taking some action toward it.
Come on – I dare ya!
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