Cultivating a relationship





May we always be connected
in our traveling journeys.
And may you
always know
how deeply you are loved
how your life shines brightly.
And how your heart is never alone.
-The Kelly Rae Roberts Collection-


With our month theme, Connection: The lives you touch, coming to an end, I reflect on the relationship I have with my daughter.  Having a 12 year old daughter who has a great time being around her parents is such a blessing.  Having a daughter, who is also a sibling of special needs child, is also challenging.  For in that relationship, a look at her needs to "feel" special must be addressed.

Sometimes it can seem as if Autism encompasses everything, and she can take on a responsibility to always correct her 10-year-old brother's behavior.  Relieving her of that duty is a constant conversation.  However, I know there will always be some sort of responsibility she will endure.

At the beginning of the year, my "conscious" effort was to cultivate a relationship in Consciousness with my daughter.  With our bedtime prayer & meditation we grow closer in Spirit.  Whenever I find a quote or image of connection or humor, I place them in a file created on our computer. She selects some to print and places in her school locker or in her binder.  She finds a sense of peace throughout the day with these prints.  For Valentine's Day, the art piece from The Kelly Rae Roberts Collection was found in a mall gift store.  The words alone sparked a deeper conversation between us.  To delve deeper into our own thoughts, this wonderful mother-daughter journal.  Just between us: A no-stress, no-rules journal for girls and their moms by Meredith & Sophie Jacobs.  The whole section of starting the process is a great process, it's all about collaboration.  And, as suggested, I created a "special" fancy pen to write in it.  With all this cultivation we're getting ready for next month's theme, SHINE!!

Cultivating relationships through journaling.