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 do not belong to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house ther 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.
--Kahil Gibran "The Prophet"
My boys were both small when I first read the above, and it served as a model for the way I raised my boys. Although I steered them in the right direction, there are many directions, and the one I chose to follow, may not be the one that was right for them. Personally, I never wished that they be like me; I didn't really like 'me' very much at that time. During that period of my life, I was still searching, still hitting those detours, not knowing which way to go. My parents had never given me guidelines, so when I first ventured forth as an adult, I didn't know how to make choices...and because of this, many times, I made the wrong one...but with suffering and pain comes growth...and perhaps these were needed lessons for me to learn during this lifetime. Sometimes I wonder what life would have been like had they been there for me, but life goes not backward.
So, my boys are men now, men who have been guided through life, but not forced to live life on 'my' terms. They may not have had as many detours as I did...because I was always there to steer them, but I never did the driving. We all make mistakes in life; it's part of the learning process. But, my boys didn't have to KEEP making mistakes for as many years as I did...and for that I am truly blessed.
I have read the Prophet when i was a teenager and it felt like pure enlightment.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment on my blog. It was beautiful and really helpful.
Love and light*
That poem has been set to music and made into a beautiful song. It's often a favourite with choral groups. That's where I first encountered its very wise words.
ReplyDeleteso true
ReplyDeleteI found this quote earlier this year also...it's so beautiful and means so much...our children are not ours...please parents, raise your children to be the best adult they can be...not dependent upon you...
ReplyDeletewise words...
ReplyDeleteHow's that for good timing! Dont' you always find things when you need them? What did your past life reading say? Or would you rather not go there?
ReplyDeleteToday is my eldest son's birthday. He's 38!!!! But I needed to hear that poem, not for my son, but for my daughter. She is 35 and has 2 children (which I was babysitting today). I told her she should quit her job (2 days a week) and stay home with her children. She was not happy about this. And I can't blame her. I keep trying to make her a carbon copy of me and how I raised my children. Soooooo, this was good for me to read today.
Happy Spring - yes, our snow is gone!! Very early this year. Usually it hangs around until April.
Awesome post again Mary. I love Kahill Gibran's "The Prophet" and in fact have a very small, leather one that was my grandpa's..possibly the first of this book? Never have had it appraised. But I love reading it..
ReplyDeleteAs for gals like us, we may make a lot of turns in our lives, and do the best we can with out children, but they are who they are when they come here...I believe that. And hopefully they make the right choices along the way...
Take care and have a happy birthday tomorrow!
And they were blessed to have you as a mother!
ReplyDeleteI found thpoem and your writing about your boys very moving and honest, thankyou. ~ONE~B.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how we find things that we have packed away after looking for so long for them. LOL The poem is beautiful and very wise, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete(((HUGS)))