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What is your "true north"?
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<blockquote data-quote="recoveringenabler" data-source="post: 661603" data-attributes="member: 13542"><p>Thank you COM for this provocative post. I have been giving it considerable thought since you first posted it.</p><p></p><p>I read and listen to Eckhart Tolle quite often. He is a good guide for me through life's forrest where I can easily get tangled in the thick growth. Many of the statements you've mentioned COM are similar to what I am practicing now too. Recently in his book, A New Earth, I read this, "Opening myself to the emerging consciousness and bringing its light into the world is the primary purpose of my life." That really resonated with me and I thought, 'yes, that is it, that's what my life is about.'</p><p></p><p>I believe, for many of us who have emerged from a difficult background and/or have had to deal with difficult children are in some ways blessed. I know it sounds absurd from almost any vantage point, but on the other hand, it is exactly my particular background of mental illness and what that brought to my life and the journey my daughter took my on......that opened up doors and gave me opportunities that I would not have had if I had lived a more "typical" and perhaps "normal" life. </p><p></p><p>Early on, at 12 years old, I began my path of searching for meaning, for answers, for some kind of tool to understand what was going on in my family. I didn't know any other 12 year olds doing that. They were in happy, safe, "normal" environments, no need to look further. But, for me, there was a strong and unrelenting deep desire to "know" to "understand" to make sense.......to be connected, to belong, to feel something within that would awaken my humanness, my spirit......somewhere along the line, I realized that something is love. Not necessarily love between a man and a woman, or a parent and a child.......although, it can certainly be that.......love within oneself that radiates out.....</p><p></p><p>For many years that was my true north, to be that love that radiates out........BUT, the part that I missed and the piece that is necessary to get that love ignited, is......<em>love of self</em>. It took a long time for me to get that. Without that, it just doesn't work.</p><p></p><p>My family and my daughter put me on the road to learn that. Interestingly, those other 12 year olds who lived safe and happy childhoods, ended up knowing as little as I did about love of self......seems it is a common human problem, not based on unhappy childhoods. </p><p></p><p>Seems when it all falls apart, that is when we can find out who we really are. Some of us, like those here, take the express.......the fast track to opening our hearts......... but, first, our hearts are broken.</p><p></p><p>Once broken though, we have a choice.......we can mend them with our own self love. Not dependent on someone or something else. We are that powerful, that brilliant, that amazing.......we can mend our broken selves, our broken hearts......we can become whole.....we can heal......</p><p></p><p>The search for myself took me on many, many interesting and sometimes perilous adventures........and within each one, I ran right into myself......over and over.......But the icing on the cake was the journey with my daughter........letting go of her and detaching and allowing and accepting and refraining and surrendering.......and all the other things we do here.......lead me straight into that place I always thought was my true north, but this time, I showed up too. I was part of it too. Love. Love is my true north. For me, well, the only game in town really. </p><p></p><p>When I put that in my compass along with the deep knowledge that I too am loved.......then my course is always the right one....</p><p></p><p>And, being human, I forget all of this fairly regularly.......so I listen to my Tolle CD's, read my books, meditate.....I keep on practicing.......</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="recoveringenabler, post: 661603, member: 13542"] Thank you COM for this provocative post. I have been giving it considerable thought since you first posted it. I read and listen to Eckhart Tolle quite often. He is a good guide for me through life's forrest where I can easily get tangled in the thick growth. Many of the statements you've mentioned COM are similar to what I am practicing now too. Recently in his book, A New Earth, I read this, "Opening myself to the emerging consciousness and bringing its light into the world is the primary purpose of my life." That really resonated with me and I thought, 'yes, that is it, that's what my life is about.' I believe, for many of us who have emerged from a difficult background and/or have had to deal with difficult children are in some ways blessed. I know it sounds absurd from almost any vantage point, but on the other hand, it is exactly my particular background of mental illness and what that brought to my life and the journey my daughter took my on......that opened up doors and gave me opportunities that I would not have had if I had lived a more "typical" and perhaps "normal" life. Early on, at 12 years old, I began my path of searching for meaning, for answers, for some kind of tool to understand what was going on in my family. I didn't know any other 12 year olds doing that. They were in happy, safe, "normal" environments, no need to look further. But, for me, there was a strong and unrelenting deep desire to "know" to "understand" to make sense.......to be connected, to belong, to feel something within that would awaken my humanness, my spirit......somewhere along the line, I realized that something is love. Not necessarily love between a man and a woman, or a parent and a child.......although, it can certainly be that.......love within oneself that radiates out..... For many years that was my true north, to be that love that radiates out........BUT, the part that I missed and the piece that is necessary to get that love ignited, is......[I]love of self[/I]. It took a long time for me to get that. Without that, it just doesn't work. My family and my daughter put me on the road to learn that. Interestingly, those other 12 year olds who lived safe and happy childhoods, ended up knowing as little as I did about love of self......seems it is a common human problem, not based on unhappy childhoods. Seems when it all falls apart, that is when we can find out who we really are. Some of us, like those here, take the express.......the fast track to opening our hearts......... but, first, our hearts are broken. Once broken though, we have a choice.......we can mend them with our own self love. Not dependent on someone or something else. We are that powerful, that brilliant, that amazing.......we can mend our broken selves, our broken hearts......we can become whole.....we can heal...... The search for myself took me on many, many interesting and sometimes perilous adventures........and within each one, I ran right into myself......over and over.......But the icing on the cake was the journey with my daughter........letting go of her and detaching and allowing and accepting and refraining and surrendering.......and all the other things we do here.......lead me straight into that place I always thought was my true north, but this time, I showed up too. I was part of it too. Love. Love is my true north. For me, well, the only game in town really. When I put that in my compass along with the deep knowledge that I too am loved.......then my course is always the right one.... And, being human, I forget all of this fairly regularly.......so I listen to my Tolle CD's, read my books, meditate.....I keep on practicing....... [/QUOTE]
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