honeypig

MARCH 26

You are reading from the book "The Language of Letting Go."

Gifts, Not Burdens

Children are gifts, if we accept them.
--Kathleen Turner Crilly

Children are gifts. Our children, if we have children, are a gift to us. We, as children, were gifts to our parents.

Sadly, many of us did not receive the message from our parents that we were gifts to them and to the Universe. Maybe our parents were in pain themselves; maybe our parents were looking to us to be their caretakers; maybe we came at a difficult time in their lives; maybe they had their own issues and simply were not able to enjoy, accept and appreciate us for the gifts we are.

Many of us have a deep, sometimes subconscious, belief that we were, and are, a burden to the world and the people around us. This belief can block our ability to enjoy life and our relationships with others. This belief can even impair our relationship with a Higher Power; we may feel we are a burden to Higher Power.

If were have that belief, it is time to let it go.

We are not a burden. We never were. If we received that message from our parents, it is time to recognize that issue as theirs to resolve.

We have a right to treat ourselves as a gift--to ourselves, to others and to the Universe.

We are here and we have a right to be here.

Today, I will treat myself and any children I have as though we are a gift. I will let go of any beliefs I have about being a burden--to my Higher Power, my friends, my family and myself.

©1990, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

CodeJob

This is a lovely letting go. Whenever I work on my FOO it is so clear that my parents were terribly young and not ready for a baby. it is really amazing how you internalize their sense of burden - even if unspoken - and it carries Through your whole sense of connection to the world.

honeypig

I had a similar realization during a reiki/massage session recently. I thought of a particular picture that's in my baby book of them w/me in a stroller, and how young my parents are (21 and 22). It suddenly struck me how no one in that photo had the slightest idea what the future held--they didn't know they'd be divorced in about 8 years. My father had no clue he'd be married 5 times in his life. My mom didn't know she'd marry a different man who'd isolate us and abuse us. I would have run screaming (if I'd been old enough to run!) if I had any inkling of all the stuff I'd go thru in my life.

It was a powerful revelation, and I try to bear it in mind as I deal w/my folks and my siblings and, after today's reading, I'll try to bear it in mind when dealing w/myself too.

freetosmile

I really needed this today! Thanks so much.