Khalil Gibran – 1883-1931

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said,

Speak to us of Children.

And he said:

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls’ dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness.

For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He also loves the bow that is stable.

Following on the heels of Truth and Reconciliation Day on Friday September 30, this poem by poet, philosopher, artist, Khalil Gibran 1883-1931 provides a particularly appropriate point of reflection. His own life was soulfully attuned to reconciliation in spirit and practice.

Born in Lebanon, Gibran achieved lasting fame as a writer and thought leader in two completely disparate cultures and represents the meeting of two worlds. A liberating force in Arabic literature, he became one of the most widely read authors in his adopted tongue — his work possessing a rare and distinctive quality of ancient wisdom and mysticism, often leaving readers amazed to discover that its creator lived in New York from 1912 to 1931. He was one of those rare writers who actually transcended the barrier between East and West, and could justifiably call himself — though a Lebanese and a patriot — a citizen Of the world. ( https://www.kahlilgibran.com/man-poet.html Professor Suhiel Bushrui)

This excerpt from his well-known and beloved book, The Prophet, touches the heart and soul of essential teachings about children. Children are the multitudinous aspects of the Divine sent to experience this Earth Walk, each soul in its own unique way. Our job as their mothers, fathers and elders is to protect and nourish their individual beauty. We must know ourselves deeply, heal ourselves and open our hearts and souls to such depth and breadth that at the very least, we do no harm to the beauty that is given in trust to us. We must be conscious and conscientious enough to prevent our limitations of thought, feeling and behavior from burdening our children. We must stop routinely sacrificing our children on the altar of our misconceptions, divisive beliefs, repressed emotions, and unresolved traumas.

Beloved children of God, forgive us our trespasses. We pray and pledge to do better by you.