"The words that a father speaks to his children in the privacy of home are not heard by the world, but, as in whispering-galleries, they are clearly heard at the end and by posterity."  ~Jean Paul Richter

 

Fatherhood: what does it mean? How is one a good father? In my life, fatherhood has had an ever changing meaning. In my youth, I had a father who struggled with alcoholism and a physically and emotionally abusive nature. The father figure in my life was one of fear, anger and judgment. As I grew older and developed my own independence, fatherhood still remained defined in this way. The only difference was that I dealt with it differently. As a child I was a victim. As a young adult I was an adversary. I left home with no real place to go because I could no longer suffer the anxiety and depression of living in a house with my father.

 

It took many years and a spiritual awakening to come to where I am now. Where am I with my father now? I forgave my father years ago for his actions, and I came to realize that he was just a man who struggled with his own fears and frustrations. His life was filled with unhappiness and he passed that along to his children. It was not his fault. He learned his behaviors just as I had learned mine, but the choice of holding those behaviors is always your own. I chose another path, one of forgiveness. I chose to live in a different way and to not let my son have the struggles I have had in my life.

I am the proud father of an amazing boy named Kynan. He has been my greatest teacher and my greatest joy. I take being his father very seriously; I make sure he knows he is loved every day. We laugh together and cry together. At times when I am open enough to recognize it, Kynan brings me my greatest spiritual lessons.  

 

Being the father of such an amazing son, I realized a few things that made his and my life easier. Before Kynan was born, I did a lot of research on the best ways to raise a child. My first real conclusion came from my ex wife, Kynan's mom. While she was in the Peace Corps in Africa, a woman asked her, "is it true that in America you keep your babies in cages at night?" Wow! What a question. In the US children are weaned from the mother's side and placed in cribs in another room, and parents are told to let them cry it out.  Studies show that this method leads to insecurities in children and anxiety issues. We co-slept with Kynan until we gently guided him into moving into his own room at age two (a cool race car bed really helps).

Another proactive thing we did was to help Kynan communicate at a very young age. Kynan knew sign language before he could speak. I remember him "asking" for his mother's breast when he was hungry. Because the "terrible twos" are a product of a lack of communication skills, we never experienced them. Kynan could communicate very well.

 

There were several other things that we did to help Kynan in his growth, all of which were based on a principle that has proven to be a very solid foundation for helping our son become the man he will become. The principle is that children are equals. The only real difference is that they do not have all the information we have, and we are the fonts of knowledge from which their beliefs are developed.

I am so grateful that I am able to help Kynan through these years of development. I am also grateful to my father for showing me a different way. If he had a father that did not perpetuate his fears in his children, my life might have been very different, but I am grateful that he struggled through life because those struggles made me the person I am today. Life is about love. To be a good father is to love. My father loved as best he could. God bless him. Now that he has passed on, I am grateful that he can rest from his struggles and bask in the love of God/ Source.

 

Fatherhood: what does it mean? it means love, compassion, understanding, knowledge, and forgiveness. Happy Father's Day, Dad.

  

As a special gift to our new newsletter subscribers, John is now offering a new and powerful tool: "The Eight Steps for Breaking Through the Fear Barrier." Our existing subscribers can also access this article as our thanks for your constant support. Click here to download the report and begin now to live positively in the present moment!   

 

Thich Nhat Hanh writes a lovely piece wherein the comparisons and acceptance of all religions is beautifully portrayed. The comparisons of the Buddha and the Christ as enlightened teachers and the correlations of their individual teachings are demonstrated most profoundly in thisvery enlightening book that promotes all religions and all Avatars. Much of what is spoken here is directly from my truest belief. I find the author's words in this book to be a guide for anyone who truly wants to live an enlightened life. At one point in the book a Jewish man found great comfort in his faith, and found the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh to be the compass that led him directly back to his own faith with a new love and respect for the traditions and their meanings. I highly suggest reading this book and experiencing unconditional love from a magnificent being.

John of Peniel's agent Donna Meyer has been hard at work contacting new venues to hear John's message of empowerment.  Donna is an accomplished spiritual event center organizer who is moving into a greater work, and JoP is honored to be a part of that work. If you know of an appropriate venue for John's lectures and classes, please contact Donna at 856-988-0522 or drmeyer@comcast.net.

A new webinar!

As you walk through your life notice what is truly beautiful, handsome, stunning, and recognize it. Realize that true beauty lies within the individual and that makes the outer self beautiful. Those that are classically beautiful can be the most unattractive in reality. Those who society claims as unattractive can be the most attractive. Release all shallow physical definitions of beauty and find beauty in everyone. Share with each one how beautiful they are. Everyone wants to feel beautiful and most people are, but when they sit in the shadow of judgement, they feel unattractive and a part of their soul suffers, especially if the ones they love most never express appreciation for how beautiful they are. Share your appreciations of beauty.

Many people have experienced healing of relationships, careers, physical conditions and outlooks by consultation with John.  You may not have the opportunity to work with him in person, but you can get a private consultation any time by clicking here to make an appointment for a phone session.  You'll find a variety of resources, from personalized meditation CDs to counseling or healing sessions, to life coaching.  If you have a specific need not addressed at John of Peniel Healing Solutions, contact us for a customized program.

We are so blessed to have more than a hundred people joining us now on the healing earth meditation. Please leave your comments afterwards on the healing earth page so we can really begin to see more community in this project. I am doing a live teleseminar with the healing earth meditation included which I will be guiding you through, live. We are looking for a week that this can be scheduled. Interested?
 
This powerful meditation intended to send loving, healing energy to our planet is now available as a FREE DOWNLOAD HERE. Check back afterwards and leave a comment about your experience on the Healing Earth Page.  Please share this free guided meditation with your friends and let's make a real renewal of the only home we have.
 
If you prefer to have a cd of the meditation, it is available for only $5 here.
 
Remember that this meditation will be a regular Sunday evening event - join us, won't you?