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I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 with my family over the weekend.  It was crazy and cute  ... I loved the emphasis on finding inner peace and its tie-in to self realization.

Jeff and I have pretty much decided that if our children (now in their tweens and early teens) left our home with no other tool than that of accessing their center of peace, we'd have rightly done our job as parents.  Peace is everything they'll ever search for, want, desire, need...above education, relationships, callings, talents, and any material success...

Following is my favorite poem, "The Invitation" by Oriah.  Hadn't read it in awhile, then picked it back up this afternoon as certain phrases from kept ruminating in my busy head...

It doesn't interest me what you do for a livingI want to know what you ache forand if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you areI want to know if you will risk looking like a foolfor lovefor your dreamsfor the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrowif you have been opened by life's betrayalsor have become shriveled and closedfrom fear of further pain...

After God created Adam He declared, "I will make an helpmeet for him..." (Genesis 2:18)   What exactly is a "helpmeet"? 

I developed my own offbeat translation of "helpmeet" in my early 20's as I secretly struggled with the idea that woman might somehow be an "afterthought" or second-seat creation.  Jokingly, I would spout off to a few in my circle of friends, "Look - women were created as helpmeets, because let's face it, men need help!"   

But I've since learned that "helper" is not the literal translation!

 Joseph Coleson, Professor of Old Testament at Nazarene Theological Seminary - a very respected scholar and archaeologist, says that the Hebrew Translation is: "I will make for him an 'ezer cenegdo...

These are my babies, 7 years ago this month...at the height of their innocent glory. 

In honor of Mothers Day and lessons learned from my children continuing to raise me, I have come up with Twelve Reasons to Learn at the Feet of Our Children:

1) Your child (depending on how old you were at his or her birth) has received at least 20 more years of heavenly training than you did. In my youngest's case, 32. (Isn't that the equivalent of like 4 PhD's?)

2) Your child's spirit is most likely older than yours. We only know who the Firstborn was, and beyond that, heavenly birthorder remains one of His mysteries...

Building upon what I've shared in the last couple of posts, regarding the "new" way Jesus the man taught and treated women, I want to share my thoughts on one of the most intriguing and least-understood figures in the New Testament...the Woman of Samaria.  Also known as the Woman at the Well.

On His way to Galilee with His disciples, Jesus was "wearied from his journey" and sat near Jacob's Well to rest and quench His thirst.   He happened to stop near Samaria, the  Jews' enemy territory (bold move #1) and approached a woman (bold move #2) to give Him water.

He perceived she'd had 5 husbands and that her current partner was not her husband...