This morning I was reading "Befriending the Stranger" by Jean Vanier.
If you don't know of Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche, then you are missing out on an amazing spiritual teacher.
When I read this passage, I thought, yes this was exactly like my Bree.
In one of the communities on the Ivory Coast, a young girl had been abandoned in the brush. (We do the same thing here except we make it look prettier yet it is still abandonment). She was brought to the L'Arche community. They knew she would never be able to walk or talk. They could never quite understand what she was thinking. But -
whenever anyone came near her and called her by name her whole face would light up.
she had an exceptional beauty.
She was completely incapable of judging or condemning anyone.
But if people did not pay attention to her, she could feel hurt.
(My Bree)
One day while I was looking at her, I thought to myself,
Jesus must be a bit like that:
Neither judging nor condemning
but terribly wounded if we do not come close to him.
The light in Bree when you took the time to be with her, play the clapping hands game or bong her shoulders or just sit and be present with her.
Caring for our wonderful children is a spiritual journey of the highest magnitude. Bree was my greatest gift and yes such a gift demands commitment and responsibility - that is the spiritual journey
.
If you don't know of Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche, then you are missing out on an amazing spiritual teacher.
When I read this passage, I thought, yes this was exactly like my Bree.
In one of the communities on the Ivory Coast, a young girl had been abandoned in the brush. (We do the same thing here except we make it look prettier yet it is still abandonment). She was brought to the L'Arche community. They knew she would never be able to walk or talk. They could never quite understand what she was thinking. But -
whenever anyone came near her and called her by name her whole face would light up.
she had an exceptional beauty.
She was completely incapable of judging or condemning anyone.
But if people did not pay attention to her, she could feel hurt.
(My Bree)
One day while I was looking at her, I thought to myself,
Jesus must be a bit like that:
Neither judging nor condemning
but terribly wounded if we do not come close to him.
The light in Bree when you took the time to be with her, play the clapping hands game or bong her shoulders or just sit and be present with her.
Caring for our wonderful children is a spiritual journey of the highest magnitude. Bree was my greatest gift and yes such a gift demands commitment and responsibility - that is the spiritual journey
Hi Wendy. I'm 13 years old and I'm from New York. I saw the raising Bree video and the tapping technique. I have showed my aunt how to do that when she gets stressed. I was heartbroken to find out about her passing. I have a question for you 1 did Bree speak ever verbally or through a communication app ? As always thank you for making YouTube videos. From Hannah.
ReplyDeleteNo Bree did not speak , yet she made her happy sounds and would use vowels to express herself like A and E. Sometimes she would say a word yet it was rare. She would let me know through her expressions what she liked or did not like. Please Hannah tell your aunt about the channel by Yates as she can just follow him to tap through any issue - example Yates taping on anxiety. Also the energy work by Donna Eden and the Daily Routine which I recently made a video on. Thank you Hannah
DeleteYou've had an interesting journey. Anything worth while isn't easy.
ReplyDeleteI agree and it is all a gift. I never had to wonder about what my purpose on the planet was. Sure there were many challenges yet Bree always knew she was loved and wanted. Every day for just a couple months short of 37years, no matter how tired etc I felt, a little girl was counting on me to keep it together. I see it all as an amazing spiritual journey and I got to share 37 years with such an amazing soul.
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