July Mama Message

As I write this message for July I am pondering the ideals of our founding fathers. I am wondering what they would be thinking of our situation today; as families are separated at our borders… As people from different countries are unable to visit their own relatives… As families are torn apart by addiction and mental health issues…As children are sold into a life of sex-slavery. The native Americans made decisions based on the next seven generations of their tribe. The early settlers of this country came to this new land for freedom to live in the way they chose. The founding fathers risked their lives to declare that this would be a country free from tyranny and oppression. My own grandparents came to the United States to escape persecution and poverty. They left everything behind to come and begin a new life. They worked very hard, and they made sure that their children received a quality education. They knew that their children would have opportunities that they themselves never had. Now we need to take a stand to protect these freedoms and the choices that we have in this country, and to help those in need.
I am so grateful to my grandparents for all they gave, and to the many choices that I have in my life. I do not take these choices for granted, and I try to be conscious with every decision that I make. I have the freedom to live wherever I choose, to eat the food that nourishes my body the best, to educate my children the way I think is good for them, to take care of my health through a wide range of healing modalities, to travel wherever I want, and to define my spirituality the way that I choose. I am also acutely aware that so many children and adults in this country and other countries do not have these same freedoms. 
I believe that families should be together, and that they should cherish every moment. I understand that many parents need to work long hours just to provide for their children, and that they don’t have the luxury of family vacations, or homeschooling, or unlimited time together. However, regardless of what the work and school situation is, I encourage parents to spend as much time together as possible with their children… because childhood is fleeting. The time we spend with our children is the most important gift we can give them. We all make choices every day about whether we have a family dinner, discuss our day’s events, play games or read together, go for a hike… or if we let the media and other distractions take that time away from us. 
Each of us has a family culture… the values, guidelines, activities, and celebrations that are important to us. There are a huge range of family cultures based on background, upbringing, education, family constellation, and intention. We get to carry on the traditions that we were raised with if we choose. We can add activities, discussions, literature, games, celebrations, outings, and food from around the world. We can uphold strong family values, and make sure we help our children understand why these are important to us. It is equally important to help our children understand that there are many different family cultures, and that we can respect those differences and appreciate our similarities. 
So this month take some time to treasure and think about your family culture… and the values, activities, and celebrations that are important to you. As you celebrate, I hope you can deepen the discussion of why you choose the things that you do. As a family, you can spend some time sharing favorite activities, books, outings, and planning new ideas to add to your family culture. I suggest that you also add one thing that can make someone else’s life a little easier or better. The essential oil blend “Hope” from doTERRA is one that was created to help end child sex slavery. The proceeds of every purchase of “Hope” essential oil goes directly to Operation Underground Railroad, which is an organization that helps rescue children in the sex-trafficking trade. You can learn more at https://www.doterra.com/US/en/humanitarian-our-rescue and share the gift of “hope” for the future. Together we can all make a difference.