Spirituality

Spirituality is believing in a higher power and acting on a value system beyond self-interest. It provides a sense of purpose and support in everyday life and during difficult times. Spirituality offers a belief system that teaches how to have healthy relationships within the family and with others. A strong spiritual base:

• Provides a sense of love and being loved. It can improve your self-image.

• Provides a way to deal with successes and failures in relationships with family, friends and others. It teaches us to seek forgiveness when we have wronged another and learn to forgive when we have been wronged.

• Provides the comfort and feeling that our lives are part of a higher purpose.

Spirituality provides tools and models for building good relationships in the family. It is a key element in establishing strong caring families.

Healthy families live by the golden rule, treating others as they would have others treat them. Many strong families read inspirational books and value activities such as raying, singing and meditating. They share similar values and feel a guiding force in their lives.

Spirituality can be summarized in the following. Translate the reading.

“ONE”

One SMILE begins a friendship

One STAR can guide a ship at sea

One WORD can cheer you up

One CANDLE wipes out darkness

One SONG can change the mood

One BIRD can sound like springtime

One VOTE can change a nation

One LAUGH can conquer sadness

One HEART can know what is true

One TOUCH can show you care

One HOPE can lift your spirits

One LIFE can make a difference

One STEP must start each journey

One FRIEND can share your pain

One VOICE can speak with wisdom

One FLOWER can brighten the day

One TREE can start a forest.

Mandala is a picture representing spiritual ideas or beliefs. Looking into a Mandala is relaxing and can bring the mind to a different place. Now is time to meditate.

Fill a Mandala in with symbols that are meaningful to you. In the centre, draw something that matters most to your family’s spirituality. You may find yourself thinking of ideas that are important to you and you family – whether they are cultural or personal.

All about us

Fill a Mandala in with symbols that are meaningful to your group.

Do you view the life optimistically?

Optimism

Positive thinking, or optimism, is crucial to how we perceive life. Our happiness in life is determined by our attitude. Attitude is an important aspect of optimism.

Optimism can be defined as the energy that fuels your thoughts, feelings and actions based on the difference between your expectations and your perceptions of a situation.

Families that develop a positive attitude and are generally optimistic can maintain healthy relationships. Happiness, confidence, satisfaction and love are keys to positive relations.

The universal language of smile can communicate a positive attitude and a sense of optimism in day-to-day contacts with a family, friends and peers.

Optimism, or positive thinking, can help families feel hopeful during times of negative situations. They tell themselves “I can,” rather than “I can’t.” They see the glass as “half full,” rather than “half empty.”

Strong families change their focus from what they have not done to what they can do. From what they do not have, to what they do have. From where they have not been, to where they can go. From their weaknesses, to their strengths. Strong families are optimistic about the present and future and aspire to:

• look at the sunny side of everything, and make their optimism come true;

• think only the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best;

• be just as enthusiastic about the success of others, as they are about their own;

• give so much to the improvement of self that there is no time to criticize others;

• be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy for the presence of trouble.

Put an "S" for strength beside the qualities you feel your family has achieved and a "G" beside those qualities which are an area of potential growth. If the characteristic does not apply to your family or is not an important characteristic, put an "NA" for not applicable.

This will help you to identify those areas you would like to work on together to improve.

_______We are able to ignore petty irritants and minor stresses.

_______We don’t give lots of attention or energy to worry.

_______We believe that daily struggles are just part of reaching a bigger goal.

_______We use humour to relieve stress and tension.

_______We take life one day at a time.

_______We eliminate some involvements when our schedules get too full.

_______We give attention to the most important things first.

_______We engage in recreational activities and hobbies.

_______We enjoy outdoor relaxation and recreation.

_______We participate in exercise regularly.

_______We manage to see some good in bad situations.

_______We see opportunities for personal and family growth in crisis situations.

_______We use good communication to share feelings and to solve problems.

_______We are flexible and adaptable.

_______Give an overall rating (S or G)

Analyze the results you’ve got. Write three sentences describing how your family are going to work on together to develop a positive attitude.

1. ________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

All about us

Ask the same questions to your peers and find out the most optimistic person in the group. Write two sentences describing the person.

1. ________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

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Being flexible is important nowadays. Do you agree or disagree?