During my pregnancy there was a point when my husband was watching my step and in gest said “mind up my ‘family’ is coming through”. It was at this point that it dawned on me that wow we’re starting our own family. We’ve created a lot of things together but this is by far our greatest creation. As excited as we felt about this we also felt a sense of fear of the responsibility of being parents. Surely we’re not ready to nurture a child into the world when we’re still discovering and exploring the world and the meaning of life ourselves? But as I have now discovered parenthood is just an extension of that journey and now we explore the world as a three.
Since becoming a mum the significance of family has changed. When I got married to now becoming a mum I have learnt to appreciate the family I grew up in even more. As a teenager and a twenty something I was always off wanting to leave the house and discover the world. I think its only when you get older that you start to feel a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for the meaning of family. The relationship I have with my mum, dad and sisters is like no other. You can create friendships with other people but this still never recreates the bond of a family tie and connection. That’s why I love Christmas time and the opportunity to spend time with the family. If there is one thing we all have in common it’s family. Whether we are with our family, separated, estranged, adopted or fostered. Family, naturally created or not, we all need and have it in some shape or form.
I also have a new found respect for my mum. Motherhood is challenging yet rewarding in so many different ways and mothers really are the core of the family. Also as much as I believe in equality I also steer more towards recognising women as the stronger sex. Let’s face it can a man really go through child birth! Women need to be recognised more for their power and strength. Men need to praise women for all they do and I feel sad to see how some women are treated in our world today. But also women need to see their amazing capabilities and when we can respect the supreme power that we have within us it will also be reflected back at us by the men in this world too. This is a big topic for another post I think so lets get back on track…
In contrast if you follow the yogic path there is a point where you detach from everything even family. This is also inevitable when we come to the end of our lives. If we look beyond ourselves as just a physical body we have a soul too. Our soul is energy, pure energy and we are all connected. We are connected to spirit/ God/ a higher energy and we are connected to each other. As cheesy as it sounds we are just one big family. When we can recognise this concept we can see the Divine. The Divine Father whom we may worship/see in other forms such as the Hindu God Krishna, the Divine Mother whom again we may worship/ see in other forms such as the Hindu Goddess Saraswati. When we can see these forms and energy within each other it takes away the separation. It brings us closer together. It connects us and releases any divide. Our earthly relationships teach us about the ethereal family that we all belong to and when we work through our family relationships we discover that the essence of it all always comes back to love.
So from my family to your family have a happy Christmas!
Love
Jaina x
Disclaimer: Please note that all the views above are my own and based on my own experience and understanding.
