Seek To Find The Light
Lighthouse meets every other Wednesday evening from 8:30-9:30 pm (CST). If you haven’t joined us before, we invite you to come and sit awhile with this beautiful group of parents. As a community, we gather to celebrate the highs and support each other through the challenges. This is a conversation with other parents who understand what you are experiencing. Grab your favorite beverage join us. This is a program for parents with students attending Islands of Brilliance programming. Register here.
I hope you are all doing well and continuing to find moments of joy both big and small. Last night we shared a few of those moments with each other. One example of a beautiful, but simple moment was noticing the light as it came through the kitchen window while doing daily chores. Pausing to take in the warmth of the light, closing your eyes and taking in a few deep breaths. This brief moment could easily be overlooked, but by seeking out and hunting for moments of joy, we slow down to notice them. How many similar moments do we miss each day in the hustle and bustle of daily life? A mindful pause can give us lasting peace…one minute can literally linger for hours after.
In last week’s conversation, one parent shared that some big events were happening to cause their family great strife and pain, especially the kids. Another parent compassionately stated, there’s nothing more painful than watching your child get hurt. This really stuck with me.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, but the connection between a parent and child goes even deeper than that. Your brain actually feels another's hurt just as if it were your own. Scientists have shown that our brain's neurons fire just the same whether you're personally feeling the pain, or seeing someone else you love go through the pain.
There is good news, however! The same is true for experiencing joy…that's why it literally feels good to help others and watch them experience happiness! Our brains feel that too! So continue to seek the small moments and look for the light. Are there moments you can create for those around you?
In a recent episode of John Krasinski’s Some Good News, Oprah shared a piece of wisdom she received from Maya Angelou, “God put a rainbow in the clouds.” She talks about the moment when you are taking a flight, and while it might be dark on the ground, you shoot through the clouds to see the sun was always there. Sometimes we need to shift our perspective and get a different view. Sometimes we need to move through the barrier to see the other side.
As we look at the week to come, how we choose to view things can greatly impact our overall well-being. We know there are many things that are out of our control, and that can be greatly frustrating and anxiety-inducing. But where we choose to focus, and what we choose to focus on might be the thing that gives us an added sense of purpose right now. What can we learn from these struggles? What have we gained in our lives by being forced to change our daily routine? While we can’t put our heads in the sand and ignore the negatives, we can continue to hunt for moments of joy, compassion, and gratitude…we can always seek to find the light.
Peace and Love,
Matt and all of us at Islands of Brilliance
