Meditation #6- Being held, loved and cherished... in Mom's hands!

Meditation #6 Being held, loved and cherished...in Mom's hands!

I just finished watching a life-asserting documentary, "Happy", and it gave me the nudge I needed to sit down to ponder about our next stop down this exciting exploration of self. We celebrated our birth this last week, it was all about crossing the threshold into your life. Now we are tiny babies, and we are completely dependent on other's care and attention. In "Happy", even though many different culture's level and paths of attainment of happiness are discussed, when analyzing the most primitive of cultures in Africa, a powerful idea is presented. We learn about total joy and surrender from our Mothers, the first caregivers, who responding, not to "culture or education", as the Dalai Lama points out, they care and tend to us out of compassion, because it is in our nature.

Our first happiness lessons are taught by the self-less acts of their love and attention and they allow us to learn whether the world is a safe place that will respond to our needs, although in some cases, when an infant's necessities are neglected, a crucial tenet of character is weakened.

Macrina Wiederkehr chooses the rainbow as the symbol for this meditation in her book "Behold Your Life". She defines it at a sign of friendship between the Creator and the Created, but then she recalls Rabindranath Tagore's words, where he asserted that every time that a child is born, it comes bearing a message of joy: God is not discouraged, he still has hope and this new child is the proof.

Now, there's a reminder that I wished would flash in neon lights in every corner of every city, where babies are neglected, abused and often discarded as trash. Every child is a Baby Jesus, the vessel of potential for change, hope and redemption. Every child is also a new start, a beginning and a seed for the future. This week, I would like to invite you all to watch "Happy", the documentary, because of the Happiness lessons it refreshes, mentioning meditation specifically as a crucial brain-enhancing practice. Watch and delight in its powerful wisdom, let the message be absorbed by your cells and your bones and renew your contract with your joy, with the rainbow of hope and friendship that lighted your heart when you looked into your mother's eyes. Remember, also, that life holds as many surprises as Mom always had for each one of us, treats and gestures of care and devotion, and that the more happiness you have, the more we all have. =)

With immense love,

Lina.