I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover with the exception of the chapter entitled...becoming the board. This chapter made me feel so conflicted with accepting that you are a part of what happens in your life instead of being a victim. I can see this being true or okay was somethings. There is the phrase "people cause their own drama" but I don't believe that this applies to all situations. Sometimes bad things can just happen.
In my continued reading, the story of the artist Alice Kahana really pulled at my heartstrings. Anyone can think about what they have seen in movies and pictures about the situation she was in with her little brother, but when I had just graduated high school I went backpacking through Europe and my friend and I chose to visit both Auschwitz while in Poland. I can only imagine how that last thing that she said to her brother changed her "vision" after going to that place. It is a moment in my life that I would never forget.
At the end of that same chapter (11), the words Marianne Williamson wrote made me cry. That is being printed and going not only in my classroom but in a frame in each of my children's rooms to remind them that they need to shine.
Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI am with you on enjoying the book from cover to cover, I have actually started to re read some chapters, ones that I thought would be most beneficial to my co-workers so that I could share at our next staff meeting.
I agree with you as well that sometimes "bad" things DO just happen. This is something that is so hard to accept and so difficult for kids to understand especially I think. They always tend to blame themselves or dwell on the why me aspect of bad situations. Your trip to Auschwitz sounds like it was amazing, I had a similar experience when I visited an old concentration camp site. It's like you could still feel all that had happened there.
Thanks for all that you have shared this month and for the past year we have been on this journey.
Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteThis book was a wonderful reading. I have gone back to reread some chapters and I want to apply these thought processes in my life. Becoming the Board is a not just a difficult concept but rather a confusing one. I agree with you that sometimes bad things just happen. When this happens it is important that we go through the healing process. Having been a victim of a violent crime many years ago I learned not to focus on being the victim of the crime but rather the survivor. The victim is just the legal term of people in a situation. Choosing to live life as a victim leads to the downward spiral. Choosing to be the survivor leads to being part of the board, accepting what has happened and move forward. The words from Marianne Williamson are strong and so powerful. I didn't think about putting that in my daughter's room. That is a fabulous idea!
I truly enjoyed reading your blog. I would like to thank you for writing it.
Keep smiling!
Being the Board is a really difficult concept to work with, especially for those who already take too much responsibility for things they have no power over. But the idea is to short-circuit the victim loop where one wants justice for a wrong, but in doing so gives the power to the other to bring resolution, freezing themselves in the situation. It doesn't relieve the other of their responsibility, but it frees you to accept that sometimes stuff does happen and I can move on from there and learn if there is something to be learned from the experience and let Karma deal with the other who may not be taking responsibility for their part. It's a tough one.
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