5-5-10 Participate in the Season for Peace in the Family

The period of time from Mother's Day (May 9) through Father's Day (June 20) offers a special opportunity to highlight the importance of peacebuiliding in family life.

One of the most powerful peacebuilding actions we can take is to become a "transition" person in our families.  What does this mean?

A transition person recognizes the negative family habits and attitudes that are being passed from generation to generation, often creating deep suffering and chronic conflicts.  Fueled by a desire to contribute to the well-being of family members, a transition person makes the commitment to do the hard work that's necessary to overcome the negative scripting they've inherited, and to be the last link in the chain of these habits.

The gift a transition person gives to his or her family is enormous, as it frees younger and future generations to create healthy lives without the added burden of the toxic traits of a family lineage.

A tendency that's run through your family for generations can stop with you.
...your own change can affect many, many lives downstream.
Stephen Covey

(A good resource for becoming a transition person:  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen R. Covey.)

Meet Renee...

Renee Taylor is a volunteer staff member who has generously contributed time and resources to the Rhythm of Peace Project since we began.

This year, for Mother's Day, Renee is giving a memorial gift to the Rhythm of Peace Project in honor of her mother, Marcia, and her former mother-in-law, Olga, who died one day apart in February of 2008.  Marcia lived with Renee during the last three years of her life while she was being treated for cancer.  During this time Renee became painfully aware of how family patterns were being passed unknowingly from generation to generation.  For Renee, a memorial gift is a meaningful way to honor the past, heal the present, and contribute to the future.

"I will do whatever I can so that the cold wars and chronic criticisms that have caused so much suffering for at least 4 generations of my family will not be passed on through me.  There is nothing more important than peace in families."

Thank you Renee, for your loving support of our efforts to educate about peacebuilding in daily life, and for your inspiring commitment to be a "transition" person in your family!

  Marcia              Olga