How many children have to die before we decide to change? How many mothers have to put their little innocent children in the ground? How many mothers have to say goodbye to their sons and daughters going off to war? It is time for the mothers of the world to stop this violence. It is time to begin to join together. One of the real issues seems to be that no one really knows how to do it.
I was at a local spa having a casual conversation with a young mother, Julie, who began to cry as she spoke about the tragedy that happened last month in Connecticut, but felt helpless as to what to do about it. Julie wanted to march on Washington, DC. Her own mother told her that marching would never change anything. Julie told me between sobs that both she and her mother and many of her friends had all this energy, but no place to put it. She said, "I want to do something and I know there are mothers everywhere that feel the same way, but there is no leader."
The leader is your heart. It begins with a loving act of kindness. It begins with taking the time to listen to your heart. The heart of the earth is your leader. The earth wants to direct you but you are not listening. You are busy. You are running around. You are in the cage. But you care. I know you do. We are all the same inside. We all have the same heart. The heart has a brain. Imagine that at one time, we were just a heart. The heart knows ways that it can make a difference.
If there is violence in your home, report it. If your child is being molested, please tell someone. Do not protect the person who is violating, protect the innocent. If you see a teenager living on the street, please do something for them... even if it is simply a kind smile. We are punishing our children for some reason. We are not paying for good teachers in our public schools. We are feeding children worthless food in school cafeterias. We are loosing ground, people! We are not caring for our children. We are making money so we can survive. The word "survive" means to be "on top of life," but we are not on top of anything. Or are we? We are standing on top of this beautiful alive planet that wants us to be happy. She will continue to shake us up until we begin to help each other, not just in emergencies, but each day and in every way we can.
We must begin to honestly share our resources. That takes guts. That goes right to the bone with most people, including myself. I call it the yoga of the soul. Give what you love the most. Thirty years ago, I gave away everything that I owned except for what I could fit into a suitcase. I found I enjoyed my belongings more on other people. I saw my jewelry and my clothes all around town. Why did I do such a thing? I heard it in my heart. I listened, and guess what? It did not take me long to accumulate more because this is an abundant world. TRUST.
If you know a child who is hurting, help them. When my children were young (some twenty years ago), my son came home to tell me that a girl he knew was talking about suicide. I called the girl's father and spoke to him. He was not happy with my call. He did not want to accept it, but he went to school and picked up his daughter and bought her a new stereo. That was done. That would solve it. Soon after that, there was an attempted suicide. I do not know what happened to this girl, who is now a young woman. I hear every day about teens cutting themselves, starving themselves and killing themselves. What is it going to take for us to change? If you care and you want to do something, email me. Let's talk.
There! That is a start. Talk. Share your heart with others. See what happens. It may save a life. It may save a country. It may save the world. You just never know. God Bless. Email me at laura@laurabushnell.com and give me some ideas. It takes a village, so lets create one.