mir·a·cle noun /ˈmirikəl/

1. A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency

I would like to suggest that miracles are happening all around us and I encourage you to start looking for them!

I remember witnessing a miracle in Southern California that was so incredible and that had such a deep ‘parenting’ message in it that I am bursting to share it with you all! A few years ago this part of the United States experienced an unusual drought and the hillsides were ablaze with ferocious winds and fires. The mountains were dry and cracked from a lack of water and the brittle twigs and brush served as fuel for an unforgiving disaster. I remember driving past the parched areas with a sadness in my heart because the land looked so barren and forsaken. It lacked a sense of well-being and it was hard to love such a neglected landscape. It seemed as if the land was crying out. It needed nourishment. It needed attention. It needed love. It needed RAIN!

The rains finally came that year. January, February and March brought more rain than predicted.

The miracles started to become obvious.

The highest mountaintops became covered with snow. The sun glistened and the mountains sparkled. Then the greenery seemed to appear overnight. One day as I was driving to my consulting job I was aware that the last time I saw so many shades of green was in Switzerland. I giggled. Southern California looked like Switzerland!

The flowers started to dance on the hillsides. Orange and yellow wildflowers gathered in bunches, covering the landscape. Shrubbery with purple flowers took center stage and motorists were pulling over to the side of the freeways to take photos of the miracle. I could hardly stay focused as I drove along the back roads and main thoroughfares. The miracles were all around and I wanted to slurp them up!!

I began to ask myself, “Where did all this beauty come from? How did these flowers get here? The hillsides were dry and cracked. How did the desert turn into such a magnificent oasis?”

My ‘AHA’ moment came as I was driving home, thinking about the children I was asked to observe that day. I realized that the children had much in common with the mountains and the hillsides. I recognized that deep within each child lies the seeds of potential. Each child brings his/her own unique gifts into life and these gifts lie dormant until the time is just right for the seeds to emerge. The way the landscape withered away without the much needed rain, children’s hearts, minds and souls also suffer when they do not receive the nurturing that they need. The beautiful shades of green that emerged on the hillsides are like the beautiful shades of imagination, creativity and knowledge that lie deep inside our children. The playful movement of the flowers blowing in the soft spring wind is similar to the sounds of children running, climbing and jumping in the playground. Children who do not receive the nourishment that comes with positive attention, unconditional love and consistent and appropriate boundaries get dry and brittle and cry out for help. Children who are nurtured with understanding, patience and appreciation have an easier path as they uncover the seeds of joyful living that live deep in their souls.

So… if it takes an ‘act of God’ to bring rain to Southern California in the year of a drought does it also take an ‘act of God’ to bring unconditional love and appropriate, consistent patterns of living to children? Perhaps it does. Perhaps it takes grown ups who are willing to find their own connection with the God of their understanding. Perhaps it takes a shift in consciousness in our country so we stop believing that test scores and clean rooms are the indicators of future success and happiness. Perhaps we all just need to slow down and appreciate the arrival of spring. I’m going to suggest that you give yourself permission to take a walk with your children. Notice the buds opening on the trees. Listen to the birds and imagine what their songs are saying to us. Take time to just breathe, to sit in quiet, to listen or dance to inspiring music, to giggle with your children, to watch the clouds, the moon, the stars.

Miracles are all around us.

They are in nature, in your children, and in yourselves.

Start the Celebration!

Happy Spring!

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