Spirituality, Personal Development & A Deeper Desire For Our Children

As my children grow, and as they experience the normal ebbs and flows of all aspects of their little lives, I find myself contemplating my journey, and the example that I would like to set for my little wide-eyed babes. In my humble opinion, spirituality and personal development are beautifully interwoven, and both are areas of life that I deeply desire for my children to be in tune with.  In the simplest terms, for me, spirituality means being connected to something greater than our physical selves, and personal development is becoming aware of our deeper purpose, being mindful of our actions, and continually striving to become better versions of ourselves. Both are lifelong pursuits and the soulful joy we attain from either quest, or both in tandem, is found within the journey.

Raised in a household where we frequented Bahi meetings, Unity church sessions, and A Course In Miracle group chats, just about as often as our weekly piano lessons, I am well versed in the interconnected worlds of spiritual enlightenment and personal growth.  By no means am I claiming to be any type of expert.  To be honest, my memories of these adventures are mostly filled with meeting new little friends, learning how to listen, nod and be polite, and in one instance, stealing an extra cookie at the post-meeting reception. However, I do feel a sense of comfort when immersed in my newest self-discovery book.  Perhaps, as much as it’s the inspiring ideas and empowering philosophies that bring so much hope and energy into my life, it may also be a bit of nostalgia.  Food for thought.

My mom was the type to not only open the door to a Jehovah’s Witness, but she would invite them in for an entire afternoon, engaging in a good ol’ discussion on life, death, what’s next, what we can do here on earth to be the best that we can be (aka live in peace and bring peace to those around us).  She was on such a quest to ‘figure it all out’, and at the very least, expand her spirit and her mind in the process, that words like God, Universe, Vibrational Being, Spirit, Source and the Law of Attraction, were all part of my vocabulary at a very young age.  Since as long as I can remember, my mother’s only request for any birthday or holiday gift, was for us to listen to what she was saying when it came to these learnings. When she felt enlightened, she wanted us to feel it too. 

So perhaps it is no wonder, that when I watch Oprah’s Supersoul Sunday TV, when I read Gabby Bernstein’s newest book, or when I hear Tony Robbins’ voice as he takes me through a guided meditation, I feel at peace, and yet, at the same time, so energized and alive.  And I guess it’s not surprising, that I am on a mission to share such promising teachings with my kids and the children of the world…our dear, sweet, clean-slate sons and daughters. And to circle back, it has taken me 35 years, but now, in having my own beautiful offspring, and being a warm-blooded human parent wanting the absolute best for them in this lifetime and beyond…I now get where my mom was coming from.  I can now wholeheartedly appreciate what her motivation was and I see that for my mom, growing on both spiritual and psychological levels, it was not only for her own personal development, but it was also, in a way, to set an example for her children. And now, it’s time for me to take the torch.