WHETHER YOU HAVE kiddos in your life who are going back to school this month or not, might we pause and take a collective moment to offer a blessing to children around the world?
No doubt this is on my mind, as my kids headed back to school this week. As I pulled out their dusty backpacks, coordinated carpools, packed lunch money and snacks, a blessing welled up from my heart to many of the little ones ’round the world, especially those for whom life is full of more struggle than back-to-school fun.
I am deeply struck by stories of so many of our young ones who are deeply suffering right now due to mental health struggles, unstable living situations, or insufficiencies when it comes to their basic needs.
Whether anxious about going back to school in the suburbs of America, homeless due to the earthquake in Haiti, desperately fleeing their country in Afghanistan, or stuck at home due to another COVID lockdown, no matter where kids live, life is not easy for many these days.
May we remember them, hold them close to our hearts, and be open to how we might be nudged to care for them in tangible ways. (Scroll down to explore three spectacular resources for how you might care for those in Afghanistan, Haiti, and Nepal.)
A blessing for the children of the world …
May you
BE healthy and happy … living safe, secure, and unafraid,
BE strengthened from deep within to face whatever comes today,
BE surrounded by support when life is brutiful (brutal-beautiful),
LEARN, stretch, and grow,
WELCOME the unexpected,
HAVE ENOUGH of whatever you need … especially food, freedom, and a flourishing future,
KNOW THAT you’re not alone, and
KNOW THAT you’re deeply loved for who you ARE … no matter what you do or don’t do.
In your mind’s eye, add your own family’s photos next to those of the children below … pause and send your own blessing of love.
I’m also aware of the stress that this season can invoke for those who are companioning kids to navigate returning to school amidst these deeply challenging times or simply due to the instability and chaos that is occurring in our world today … so don’t miss the PoP (Place of Pause) right here.
Take time for a 1 or 10 minute PoP. BE still. Breathe. Surrender. Ahh.
Check out this week’s PoP (Place of Pause) with a nudge to be free from the burden of needing to know where you – or children you love with all your heart – are going and how you are getting there.
Keep going. Persevere.
BE COURAGEous.
xo, -Sarah DT ❤️
P.S. Here are few resources for you to check out if you are looking for ways to learn about and care for our sisters and brothers who are struggling and in need in Afghanistan, Haiti, and Nepal.
Check out the quote from Fred Rogers below … be filled with hope as you look for – and become one of! – the helpers.
