Summer is winding down and as Autumn draws nearer we prepare for school time again. If you have children in your life or if you ever were a child- you understand how big of an impact school has on kids.
On average, a person will spend 13 years of their life in some form of formal education. That is more than 1000 hours a year and it can easily be more if you go on to post secondary education. With such a great amount of time spent on their academic pursuits, we can see that it can be a very shaping experience.
These lessons can be useful, though, they certainly aren't all easy. I find that sometimes it's the lesson "in between the lines" that sink the deepest. I remember the day I met my longest friend. We were in second grade. I was the new girl. I liked to keep to myself and recess was often a time of quiet contemplation for me. But not joining the other kids games made me an outsider. I became easy to pick on or tease. It didn't bother me so much- but it did really bother her. She got in between me and some kids taunting and told them to stop and go pick on somebody else - because we were friends and she wouldn't put up with what they were doing. You know what? We've been friends ever since. I learned a lesson in between the lines that day. I learned about kindness and bravery and friendship.
At Center for Spiritual Living we get to spend an hour each week learning and growing with each other. We often focus on the 'in between the lines' lessons. We look at Virtues like honesty and kindness and peace. We try and tie our lessons in with the big lesson for adults in the sanctuary in an age appropriate and meaningful way. We use stories that have morals. We try out things like sound meditation, and yoga and mindfulness games. We say positive affirmations with each other and take seriously the requests for prayer about pet hamsters or a final exams coming up.
