Childhood Silliness is Pure Pleasure

As I write my chapter on Child's Play, my children seem to get goofier...or am I simply more open to "play"?

Last night, we had almost finished dinner. Shadow, our black lab, stared intently at me. I looked down near my foot. There was a bread crumb barely big enough for a mouse, but apparently he wanted it. I started laughing. "Can you believe it?" I shook my head. "A miniscule piece of bread has his attention."

My son, Ryan, panted anxious dog-speak, "Shadow's saying 'IwantitIwantitIwantit!'"

Shadow the dog
Ashley responded with a low-throated whine, "Or he's saying, 'awww, please let me have the cruuummb... I'm staaaarrving!' Just like when he wants to run out to the backyard to chase the crows, 'leeetttt me ouuutt! I haaavvve to get them!'"

Labs are food-driven. They also bred to love the chase. Both of my children had cleverly mocked Shadow's two (main) idiosyncracies, and their make-believe imitations hit my funnybone. As my husband and I carried on with silly dog-speak, I could hardly believe our table had been reduced to puppy-dog imitations... and hanging tongues.

For overly-serious me, it was pure pleasure.

"Do Unto Others" Fills Me with Gratitude

I feel pretty fantastic right this moment. My to-do list is done.

What was my to-do list?

1. Drop off flyers for the Forever Family Foundation Holidays Past event.
2. Write more content for my book.
3. Pick up material my daughter's new craft project.
4. Purchase a turkey for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner.
5. Plan dinner for my dear friends, arriving from Vancouver tomorrow night.
6. Pick up my children and their friends from school. , who are all full of giggles and goofiness. Their "work" was all about Thanksgiving today.

Normally, my list gets check marks, and I'm on to other things. So why is my to-do list special? On the day before Thanksgiving. My list allows me to be extremely grateful.

Why am I grateful?
1. I am healthy enough to be able to help others. With a genuine "Happy Thanksgiving" and a smile, we all felt the true spirit of that small exchange.
2. I have time to write.
3. My daughter is talented in her creativity. It is a pleasure to watch her create.
4. We have the means to provide a big dinner.
5. We have dear friends and family.
6. My children and their friends have no big worries, unlike some children in other countries. Our children experience joy and easy laughter.

I'm also so grateful for some amazing people I've met in just this past year, especially in my volunteer journey. In "doing unto others, " I receive more back in an untold number of ways, but mostly in the warm mushy feeling I have inside, right this moment.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Love and Light, Leigh

Calming a Scared Seven-Year-Old

My seven-year-old boy used to get scared at night. He would climb into our bed at 3am, or ask me to come back to his bed until he fell asleep. Every night he asked that the light be left on.

We talked about his fears. One questionable children's movie (which I regret turning on) has given him a few nightmares. However, he has also mentioned hearing his name called, and hearing noises.

Since I believe in spirits, in our souls surviving death, I believed he could be hearing them. For a child, this is very scary. Any medium that I know reports being frightened as a child, even as they now embrace their unique ability to speak with spirits.

Last month I told him a trick.


Surround yourself with white light. Imagine a glowing ball of light surrounding you and connecting with the ground. Good feelings can go through this light. Bad feelings can't. Also ask God or a higher power to protect you all night.

This, along with keeping the light on low, seemed to work most nights.

Last weekend I went to a conference on the science of afterlife. I bought a children's book from one of the mediums who presented. I gave it to my son, and the same one to my daughter. I passed on some advice from the author, Debra Martin. She said, "tell your son to ask someone he knows - a great grandfather who has passed on, for example - to stand at his doorway and keep him safe all night. No one will be allowed past him without your son's permission."

When I told my son, he said, "could I ask lots of spirits to stand there and guard me?"

I said, "sure, but it is probably better just to ask one or two, then you don't lose track of who you've asked."

Before this chat he was pretty quiet about his fears. On this night, and the next morning, asked me many questions.

I feel pretty confident he will sleep better.

A side note: Yesterday I spoke with a friend-of-a-friend. She was concerned her seven-year-old boy was waking up every night, terrified. Before I knew her own beliefs, I decided to tell her what I'd just said to my own son. She revealed that when her son was two, he seemed to see her own father frequently, shortly after he passed away. She thinks this new advice is worth trying. Stay tuned.

Let It Be

LIFE

Life is simple if you LET IT BE.
LET the sun shine
LET the chips fall where they lay
LET them scream and shout, get it out
LET love swell, and anger fade
LET your true self shine through.
IT is unknown
IT is beautiful
IT has no end
IT is it.
BE yourself
BE in love
BE grateful
BE who you want to be
BE expressive
BE open
BE.