From childhood, almost everyone becomes entranced by stories. We start with fairy tales, storybooks, and ordinary narratives of daily life around the dinner table. The most powerful of these stories germinate quietly in our young psyches, providing much more than amusement. These power-stories shape our understanding of the world and our place in it- forming our views of gender & it's culturally sanctioned roles; about tribulation, its meaning and relief; about virtue, effort, karma/consequences, mystery, and so much more.
    As adults, most of us continue to be avid absorbers of stories- through books, movies, the evening news, in conversations with friends in playgroups and colleagues in the office. Though we probably are somewhat more discerning about what we believe, stories still can have a surprising power to root and live in us, shaping our perceptions about what is desirable and possible in our lives.
    Birth stories are among the most powerful narratives for us as women. As a girl, I remember hearing birth stories with a mixture of fascination, awe, fear, and disbelief. The 'take-home' message that I got was that having a baby was terribly hard and was really accomplished by the work of everyone but the mother. And then- the power of story!-  as an undergrad, I heard Ina May Gaskin speak, telling birth stories that were about courage, sweat, love, triumph, sweetness, tremendous effort and laughter all rolled into one. Revolution!
    What is birth like, what is it really like? A thousand, million, billion answers are true, of course. Remember when you hear a birth story, it is that one woman's truth. Hers. To compare it to your own experience only invites dissonance.
    And what of your story, or the part of your story, that still aches to have been different? Hold that part as tenderly and closely as you would a teary toddler. Tell your story to a trusted sister or friend, someone who can take it all in and catch you on the other side. All different, but all raw hopeful resilient human hearts.

 
  The Amajoy Center is pleased to announce Summer 2008 offerings on Natural Movement Development. Classes are for well & challenged children. Some folks drop in just to better understand the process of development, to get new perspective on what your child is doing, what she'll be doing next, or how you can help her in ordinary play. Some come for help with common problems of infancy such as stressed digestion & difficulty going to sleep; and others have mild delays and attend to receive help to make gains in specific aspects of development.

Lenore Grubinger (RMT, IDME) is the director of Amajoy. Even more, she is its heart & hands, and a skilled, encouraging guide to parents who want to understand their little ones better.

INFANT CLASSES 2 wks - 17 mths
Wednesday Morning drop-in classes:
July 23 12:30-1:45pm
August 6 11:00am-12:15pm
September 3 11:00am-12:15pm