Then she took the stage. \u00a0The speaker was tall. \u00a0Elegant. \u00a0A little frail from a life spent battling chronic illness. \u00a0But also luminous. \u00a0She shone, in that way that brilliant and deeply conscious people do. \u00a0Even before she opened her mouth to speak, she seemed to shimmer a little, around the edges.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not an activist. \u00a0I\u2019m a story teller,\u201d she began. \u00a0She addressed the audience of several thousand of us softly, as if we were already friends. \u00a0\u201cAnd I\u2019m going to tell you some stories today.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to talk to you about becoming a blessing. \u00a0Living as though your life makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her name was Rachel Naomi Remen<\/strong>, and her message was that each of us, no matter our position, profession or self image, has the power to bless life.<\/strong><\/p>\n She shared that she first learned the power of blessing from her grandfather, an Orthodox rabbi and, as she described him, “<\/strong>a flaming mystic.”<\/p>\n Her visits with him were the highlight of her childhood. \u00a0When she saw him, she would eagerly tell him all the things she\u2019d done and felt that week. \u00a0He would listen deeply, rejoicing over her accomplishments, offering support where she had faced challenges.<\/p>\n Then, he would put his hand on her head, and begin to talk about her aloud. \u00a0He would say aloud all the beautiful things about her that were true. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n As a child, she felt like when her grandfather did this, he was telling God who she was.<\/strong><\/p>\n Not all of us identify with the concept of \u201cGod\u201d. \u00a0But however we think about our relationship to the big picture, we all have the power to bless life.<\/strong><\/p>\n To bless is more than saying \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 It means seeing and saying back the truth that another person may not fully be able to see, or may have momentarily lost touch with.<\/strong><\/p>\n When we bless someone, we help them remember their fullest self.<\/strong> \u00a0We mirror back to them their wholeness.<\/strong> \u00a0We help them feel their connection to powers greater than their own. \u00a0This is what Rachel\u2019s Grandfather did for her.<\/p>\n It’s also what Rachel, in that amazing\u00a0plenary speech, did for me.<\/p>\n Some of the wisdom she offered took root in my work life. \u00a0Some took root in my art. \u00a0Some took root in my soul. \u00a0And some were seeds that have only come to blossom in parenting.<\/p>\n I want to share one of those things with you today, a little family tradition\u00a0inspired by Rachel Naomi Remen.<\/p>\n Parents, try this – \u00a0when you are putting your child to sleep, set aside a little time for blessing<\/strong>, just as Rachel\u2019s grandfather did.<\/p>\n Tell your child the things you see and love about them that are true.<\/strong><\/p>\n Avoid generalities. \u00a0Instead, get specific.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to tell you some things I noticed about you from today. \u00a0At the playground, you gave Oliver a turn with your truck. \u00a0It\u2019s not always easy to do that. \u00a0When I see you do something like that, I can really see your caring heart. \u00a0That\u2019s something I so love and appreciate about you.\u201d<\/p>\n Or<\/p>\n \u201cThis morning I was rushing, and you felt really upset about that. \u00a0You showed me that it\u2019s hard on you when I rush you in the morning. \u00a0When I see you do that, I can appreciate how your really stand up for your needs. \u00a0I so value that about you.\u201d<\/p>\n Whatever you observed, flex your empathy muscles and allow yourself to see it from your child\u2019s perspective. \u00a0Allow yourself to see how they (and you and we!) are trying our best. \u00a0And say it aloud.<\/p>\n Let them know you are listening. \u00a0Let them know you see them.<\/p>\n Because when you do this, you help them learn to also see themselves.<\/p>\n And here\u2019s another thing I tell my own children \u00a0\u201cYou children who have come now, you are very special children. \u00a0Because you have chosen to come at a time when this earth needs all the love in our hearts. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPeople are waking up. \u00a0People are beginning to understand that we need to find a new way to live<\/strong> – a way that honors all the beings and creatures of the earth. \u00a0And you are a very important part of that<\/strong>. \u00a0You and Peregrine and all the children who are coming now.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a powerful, extraordinary time to be alive, and we are blessed to share this moment together. \u00a0So much is changing. \u00a0And it is up to all of us to help move that change along.<\/p>\n Amidst all the heartache of this time, there is so much love and strength for us to draw upon.<\/p>\n There are reserves deeper than we can ever truly understand or know.<\/p>\n My deepest wish for my children is this – I want to help them feel their connection to those resources<\/strong>. \u00a0The unending ones. \u00a0The ones born of feeling and seeking our right place within the web of life. \u00a0The ones that may begin with reckoning<\/strong>, but that end in realignment<\/strong> and, ultimately, homecoming<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This is what it means to bless. \u00a0It means to help nurture homecoming – the ability to see ourselves through the same gaze Rachel\u2019s grandfather turned upon her – the wise eyes of love.<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_cta admin_label=”Call To Action” url_new_window=”off” use_background_color=”on” background_color=”#9cd8a9″ background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_button=”off” button_letter_spacing=”0″ button_use_icon=”default” button_icon_placement=”right” button_on_hover=”on” button_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ saved_tabs=”all” body_font_size=”18″]<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this post, here are a few ways to go deeper<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n If you’re in the SF Bay Area<\/strong>, join us in person for:<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_cta][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”16″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_padding=”|15%||15%”] A little over ten years ago, I heard a speaker who changed my life. \u00a0It happened at the Bioneers Conference in Marin. \u00a0I was attending this festival for ecological activists with my then boyfriend, (now husband), whose film was playing at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[6,53,3,93,4,5],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/pablo-13.png\")
<\/p>\nWherever you live, you can\u00a0download our latest\u00a0musical release<\/span><\/a> for families<\/strong>. \u00a0It’s pay what you want.<\/h3>\n
Meadowlark Music Class<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>for children and caregivers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Apple Star,<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/b>our Waldorf Parent Child Class<\/b><\/h3>\n
Mothersong Chorus<\/a><\/span>, <\/strong>an\u00a0intergenerational singing circle <\/strong>for women and girls.<\/h3>\n