a sacred circle

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a sacred circle of caring others to support our olders.

Sacred is not an overstatement.  Honoring our parents is one of the Ten Commandments. 

Honor is not the same as its often interpreted meaning - obey.  Just think of the traditional wedding vow - love, honor & obey.  Not the same.  You can obey someone without so much as a smidgen of honoring, but if you honor the person, you will naturally be obedient to their best interests.  

Where did I learn that?  It feels like a message received from the angels, part of the basic tool kit I was born with.  That is not to say it is easy  - not on family, on friends, on other support providers, and certainly not on the older person.  Not easy, but essential.

The more cherished faces are part of that sacred circle, the better ~ IF ~  they reflect back love & connection.  Some olders draw more enlivening energies from pleasant acquaintances than from family, if the pleasant acquaintances feel genuinely honored to be there, while the family is present due only to obligation.   

I think about the faces that greet grannie clients when they walk into a beloved bakery/cafe, a retro diner, a casual eaterie, or a fine "white cloth" restaurant.  The smiles, the hellos, the happiness at seeing older folks still getting out & about in spite of frailer-than-they'd-like bodies & memory challenges.  The genuinely warm greeting & friendly touch of someone dropping by with afternoon meds.  Those newer faces can be incredibly important - there is only affection & respect glowing, not a smidgen of ancient issues or cumbersome baggage. 

It is a difficult truth that family members often find it challenging to be actively present in an aging parent's or loved one's life.  Distance - physical or emotional - can make an active, hands-on role almost impossible.  A multitude of responsibilities can tug us in conflicting directions.  Those ancient issues & cumbersome baggage can, if not at least acknowledged, become hard-to-overcome obstacles.  

That's not a criticism of youngers & certainly not one of olders - it's human nature.  And it is why a sacred circle of tender support can make a incalculable difference.

When everyone joins together with the older, giving him or her a place of honor in the sacred circle, unexpected blessings can flow to one & all, as promised in the 5th commandment ~ Honor your father & your mother, and your life will be filled with abundance.