Lessons for Life

What soul expansion can be triggered by the words and actions of a little child!  If you love them already the learning experience is all the deeper, all the stronger, all the more profound.  It is the kind of thing that splits the heart open with a crack like thunder. You have no choice but to let it go.   Like the bolt of lightning itself, it happens so fast you can do nothing but give yourself up to the inevitable.

I am so lucky, I have three dear little souls in my life.  Here they are, open and honest, and from my perspective my greatest teachers in this, the latter part of my life. I have cried real tears today.  Taken myself away and sobbed quietly out of sight.  Why would I do such a thing? What could have happened to break open my heart in such a way?

My little 2 year old  teacher shouted at me. Not just shouted, he screamed and yelled. He was consumed by a rage that was not his.  I saw a dark shadow cross his normally smiling face, and saw him fall under its spell. Whose rage was it?  Where did it come from?

In my world I can see that he has learned this rage. It is not him.  He has seen it, and now mirrors it when things don’t go his way. He is so young he has no other tools to call upon to make his wishes known.  He simply does what he has seen others do, and now it is part of who he is.  Like all of us, he is learning how to be an adult by watching and copying the people in his life.  I felt such sadness when he threw things at me and yelled so loud and fierce – I couldn’t keep it in.  My heart broke open when I watched him, for I feared his life would be all the harder because he now has rage.  This rage might mean judgments from others, condemnation and telling off – he might get into trouble and be punished, and all because he has learned something he never needed to learn.  The tears fell from my eyes as I realised others might never know the light he truly is.  All they will see will be an angry person who cannot handle themselves.  And this dear little boy might only see the world as a place full of judgments, instead of one filled with love and kindness.

Where is the pearl in this?  Where is the gift of learning? For hours I felt so sad I couldn’t see it.  Now I think I do.

If I can remember that EVERYONE is a wounded child, I can forgive them.  If I can remember that everyone is simply working with what they were given and are always doing their best, I will not be hurt by their words or actions.  If I can see the wounded child in all the people in this little boy’s life (including me), I will not judge them or myself.  If I can see the child in EVERYONE, I can love the world – just the way it is.

Thank you my little angel for your wonderful teaching.  I will try to remember what you have taught me today.  Bless you sweetheart.