Exercise
One — Understanding Your Mother or Father
Start with your mother or father, and enjoy clarifying in your mind what good influences
you received. For example, appreciate your mother with your whole heart and reflectively
consider:
|
|
|
"Dear Mother, I love
you. When you were raising me, what were your views of the world? Were you happy, and in
love? Were you confident? Did you love Dad? Were you happy in your relationship with him?
Did you feel loved? Did you want to give birth to me? Did you enjoy having me around? As
you brought me up, did you love me? Were you generally happy with the way I developed?
What were you thinking when you looked at me that way? Or when you said...? Mother, were
you often afraid? What were your hurts, fears, disappointments? What were the main
influences in your life, Mother? Why did you think the way you did? Why did you speak and
act the way you did? (Consider numerous specific examples you find stored inside you.) Dear
Mother, what did you think about life itself? What were your attitudes about the world?
What did you think of other people, other nations, religion, business, sex, money, work,
virtue, the soul? Did you have deep feelings about God? What, if anything, really bothered
you, Mother? And, what inspired and delighted you most?" |
|
|
|
Proceed in this manner while thinking of...
|
