August 05, 2023

Quote of the Week

"It can sometimes be easier to forgive our enemies than our friends. It can be hardest of all to forgive people we love. Like all of life's important coping skills, the ability to forgive and to let go of resentments most likely take root very early in our lives." -- Fred Rogers

How To Gradually Introduce Kids To The Idea Of Forgiveness

Forgiveness lends a spiritual and socio-emotional action space for humans, young and seasoned alike. Whether you are forgiving yourself or others. It is a process -- at times of considerable length -- not an isolated act to be accomplished. So this week we bring building blocks for teaching children age-appropriate skills to forgive and to let-go and grow upto be peaceful and forgiving adults. Courtesy of the Greater Good Science Center.

"....forgiveness is a choice to let go of anger toward someone who hurt you and to think, feel, or act with kindness toward that person. They clarify that forgiveness is not being weak—it takes strength and courage to forgive. It is also not forgetting, condoning, or putting up with being hurt; you can forgive while still seeking justice. And forgiveness is different than reconciling with someone; you can forgive without receiving an apology.

Forgiveness might seem like an impossible feat for a child who doesn’t yet have all the tools in her toolbox that adults do to handle emotions like anger and the desire for vengeance. But forgiveness programs can help kids of different ages feel better, strengthen their relationships, and improve their academic performance...."

Reading Corner

Title: Under the Lemon Moon
Author: Edith Hope Fine
Illustrations: René King Moreno
Ages: 6 and above

"Set in rural Mexico, a young girl named Rosalinda awakens one night to find that a Night Man has taken the lemons from her beloved tree.

Soon after this event, the tree begins to sicken. Rosalinda asks her parents, some neighbors, and her abuela (grandmother) for advice. When her grandmother tells Rosalinda about La Anciana—the Old One—the girl begins to search for her. Just when Rosalinda discovers the Night Man selling her lemons in the market, La Anciana appears. “Perhaps he had a need,” the Old One tells Rosalinda and offers instructions for healing the tree.

The story ends as Rosalinda gives away the beautiful lemons that her healthy tree now yields, including one to the Night Man whom she tells to plant the seeds while the lemon moon is still in the sky. Under The Lemon Moon is a Parents’ Choice Award Silver Honor winner and was listed as a Notable Book for Children by Smithsonian magazine..."

-- Synopsis by Lee and Low Books

Be the Change

Tap into the power of forgiveness with the movie INVICTUS. Invite your children (especially the older ones!) and family to enjoy this spiritual cum sports biopic based on Nelson Mandela's life after 27 years of imprisonment and as the first black South African President committed to uniting an aparthied-torn country - rather unusually - through the 1995 Rugby World Championship.

More deeply, this movie shows how Mandela's spirituality was anchored in the practice of forgiveness, reconciliation, and compassion that he practiced even while in prison. 

If you feel so inclined, read the book -- Playing the Enemy -- that inspired this movie.