Thanks for the opportunity to share again. It was hard to speak with the echo. Water activities were always part of my childhood whether it was a stream, a river, a lake, a fish pond, a swimming pool or Pacific Ocean and the beach. We spent many summers at my Grandmother's house who lived on a lake. We water skied every summer. We also had fun at the local river, too. Nowadays our property is alongside a river and I see water daily. My grandson and I had great fun recreating my inner child with paper boats and throwing rocks and branches in the river. He also joins me in the pool. I look forward to sharing more of my childhood activities with RJ. I hope he loves the water as he grows and appreciates the calming effect it has. Thanks again for the "Best Homework Assignment EVER"! 😎
Hi Graham, I wanted to say more last night on our chat but it was echoing so I wasn’t able to get my thoughts together. All I wanted to add was that I had asked a couple of friends that I just started hanging around with if they liked to bowl and to my surprise they had both been on leagues on and off like me from a young age. We had so much fun and they thanked me at the end of the night for inviting them and saying it was such a great idea to go bowling. I think their inner child came out that night too. We laughed so much and it brought back so many memories. I wanted to go bowling for a long time just never did so thank you for the push and encouragement to bring my inner child on a date. I definitely will be going again! I hope you and your friends are having fun with the Cyber Truck .
Thank you for inspiring the bowling in me. It is something that I loved doing; I haven't done in years, thank you for your post. I Love It, I will be going to a Bowling Alley near me Soon!!
Hi Gloria Jean, I’m so happy to hear you are going to go bowling soon. It really brought back alot of happy and fun memories for me. I hope the same happens for you. Enjoy 😊
Maria thank you for sharing your bowling date, I grew up going bowling almost every Sunday afternoon with my brother and sister and cousins. I also was on a league as an adult. Can’t say I was very good, but I sure had a lot of fun. 😊🧡. So happy you took your friends and had such a good time
Graham, thanks for the "best ever homework" assignment, it was such a fun experience, as I shared. Flying the kite was something I hadn't done in many years, it was perfect spring day for the activity. As I was flying my kite, I felt like a kid again...just having fun, watching the kite dip, dive and crash made my heart happy, so freeing. Growing up on a farm, my childhood was full of outdoor adventures, playing softball in the cow pasture, building forts in the hay loft, making snow angels, etc. My take away from "flying a kite", was creating the time to let the inner child play, which helps with letting go of stress and worries, recharging and lifting my spirit. The kites are still in my car, so I'll be ready "when the wind" calls. I have several inner child experiences planned for this year, trip to Ireland, ride a carousel again, go sky diving. When I talk to my inner child I envision her riding her bike down the driveway on my childhood farm, waving and calling to me "come on let's play", which came to me during your inner child meditation.
Okay Teach! I kinda colored outside of the lines last night on the chat and didn't correctly do my homework...
(By the way, my inner child has been nagging at me all day, because LITTLE B was a rule follower and THIS B has strayed ... mightily!)
But I had done the homework, only I went off on that tangent🤪
So I've talked to Little B today and she reminded me that we used to love going to a Al Deppe's on Staten Island which was a hot dog joint/arcade/miniature golf/ batting cage place. I did love miniature golf...but I REALLY loved skee ball! I'd always gravitate toward that rather than the arcade games. Sooooooo..... on Wednesday which is my day off from babysitting I'm going to a place here in Olean called GOOD TIMES...which is their version of Al Deppe's!
It has a bit more...miniature golf, sand volleyball, bowling and an arcade with SKEE BALL! I'll let you know all about it after I go!
And yes I had also bought a paint by number kit because I loved those as a kid. I've been doing that for 3 days.
What did I find out?
I can't easily see the numbers anymore, and have already painted the wrong color in a few places..
This is going to take a magnifying glass!!! And better lighting!!!!
Oh Barbara I loved your share the other night. You spoke with your inner child and bringing back all those memories had to have been overwhelming. You have inspired me from the first time I met you in Buffalo. Skee Ball is one of my favorite things to do or at least was when I was younger. I’ll have to add that to my “Inner Child Bucket List”. 🧡🧡🧡
Cindy, you are such a dear person to me...and so very kind. Perhaps one day we can take Little C and Little B to play Skee Ball one day. After all, we aren't so very far from each other!❤️🙏
Thank you Graham and all for sharing your wonderful stories! It was so inspiring to hear about what brings out your inner child. I took the opportunity to jump on my trampoline and it was an absolute blast! It reminded me of the pure joy and freedom we often forget as adults. Let's keep embracing our inner child and finding those moments of fun!🤩
I asked my inner child what filled your heart with laughter and joy. She whispered, without, hesitation, running in the wind before a storm. The freedom, carefree sprit, light and airy feeling. I paused, thought and looked outside at the trees blowing. I ran out the door into the wind, to see if I could recapture that feeling. Letting go of stress, letting go of control, capture freedom. That feeling, that memory, of what I had forgotten came flooding back, a lesson forgotten now revived. It was magical. Best homework ever. Thank you Graham.
Many thanks to Graham and all who shared their homework last night. Mine is a little different so I will try to be brief as I explain why. I put a wall up to block my childhood years for most of my adult life. Several months ago I listened to one of Graham’s poems, I think it was a poem but I could never find it when I went back to look. I tried to go back and talk to my inner child but I would just start crying every time. Barbara and some other members tried to give me words of encouragement but I was still having a hard time. The Jerry Wise podcast started my breakthrough. I realized that I was focusing on all of the bad times I remembered and they were overshadowing the good ones. It finally hit me that the good times always centered around my deep love for my three brothers and three sisters and some of the fun times we had with each other. That’s what I started talking to my inner child about. Now my tears have been replaced with smiles. Siblings are one the best gifts that life can give. I talk to all but one of my brothers and sisters every day or bi-weekly. So my homework was to call my brother than I haven’t spoken to in several weeks. We got caught up and spoke for an hour. It was very comforting! One other thing. I have always been my worst critic. Lately I have been complementing myself more rather than criticizing myself because I realized I am also criticizing my inner child. It has helped me so much in feeling good about myself. Thank you Graham, Jerry Wise, Barbara, and all of the members who have continually encouraged me on my journey. May God bless you all! 🙏
Kathleen I’m so happy for you. Thank you for sharing this. Just as Graham, Jerry, Barbara and others have encouraged and inspired you what you shared will do the same. Graham has a special gift and through his love, kindness, compassion, intelligence, heart and connection to a higher power he brings others into our lives that give us the opportunity and power to grow. This community is. God sent. 😊🧡🙏🏻
Oh, Cindy, thank you for your thoughtful words! I totally agree that Graham is a unique young man, the “best of the best!” He has built a beautiful community here. I am so grateful!
Thanks for sharing your story of connecting with your inner child and focusing on recalling the happy memories with your siblings. Replacing tears with smiles….blessings!
Kathleen, thank you so much for being vulnerable here and sharing how hard it is to break through the long held childhood hurts to now discover the warmth and love you've shared with your siblings has always been there. You are indeed fortunate that you have them as they are the humans who have gone through life together with you from the beginning.
My breakthrough took such a long time to happen but now I feel lighter than air because those shackles of hurt and past wrongs have been released. I found it wasn't my place to forgive, because what right do I have to do that? I found release after more of an acceptance of what occurred and realization that this was part of my life meant to happen. And my part in this was to learn and appreciate that I had this lesson so I could evolve and grow.
Maybe it's a hard pill to swallow but I put my ego aside and knew I would never look back and see ugliness, only love and joy that was buried deep down before.
I hope we can talk again Kathleen as I felt a kinship of sorts after our first encounter in that breakout room. We can help each other be the best version of ourselves!
Barbara, you always express yourself so beautifully! I am so happy that you were able to experience that release and continue to grow. I too enjoyed our conversation in the breakout room. You have been an inspiration to me ever since and have helped me more than you know. Thank you. 🙏❤️
Kathleen, thank you for the reminder to focus on the good times and memories. I need to hear this again and again. I'm happy you are now focusing on the good times with your siblings. Peace! ❤
Kathleen, you speaking about hour siblings got me to thinking. I have a brother who passed away at an early age due to a virus. My oldest sister passed away 2 years ago this July. I found her on her floor unresponsive after she and I had not spoke to each other for more than 30 years. God gave us 3 weeks together. I have 2 younger siblings that the only time we talk to each other is to say happy birthday or merry Christmas. I have no idea what put a wedge between us. I've reached out to them but I never hear back except on my birthday or Christmas. I'm so glad you were able to catch up with your brother. Maybe one day my sisters will decide to talk to me.
Mia, I do remember you posting about your sister and the 3 weeks you spent together. I was so very happy for you both. We never know what God has planned for us. Maybe He will provide you with an opportunity to find that special closeness with your younger siblings. I really hope so. God bless you. 🙏
Thanks, Vicky, for your kind words. I have always appreciated you for the way you continue to help others on this platform find their way to a better life.
The comment I posted yesterday seems to have disappeared? ... so here it is again...
This Live was a fantastic experience. Hearing from several of our Time Has Come friends tell of their inspiring experiences, was a joy. And hearing how transformational Barbara's and Cindy's experiences were was very moving and brought tears of joy to my eyes. My experience so far with my homework has had a greater impact than I expected. I chose to try whittling a walking stick again. I've made many over the years ... some for me, some as gifts and some for charity fund raisers. I gave it up years ago as my hands became arthritic. I simply couldn't sit down for hours at a time so gave it up completely. As I reflected on my homework I received very clear guidance... just do a little at a time. I've had two 20 minute sessions so far, and it was wonderful. It felt great to return to a favorite creative pastime. It was also an important reminder that it doesn't have to be all or nothing, and as Cindy beautifully expressed, it doesn't have to be perfect! Thanks Graham and thanks to all who shared their experiences. Looking forward to reading everyone's homework experience in the comments.
Karen I’m so happy you were moved to try whittling again. I’m so excited to see your progress and the finished walking stick. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. What I’ve learned through my growth since I’ve been following Graham and been a member of this amazing community is that what makes me special are my little imperfections. Love ya 😊🧡🙏🏻
I cant wait to see the finished product. My brother in law made a cane and I won it at our annual family reunion. He actually used part of a deer antler on the handle. I use it on uneven surfaces. It has special meaning just because its home made. I also have my Grandfathers cane that he carved..it is pretty primitive but I still cherish it.I am hoping to get back to quilting. I made quilts for my siblings and both my daughters....now it is time to start on my grandkids!
Your xanes sound like special treasures. Chris has an old Irish blackthorn cane that was his grandmother's. It has a bone handle that is attached to a slender sword on the inside.
Karen the same thing happened to me too. I was able to post the video on that one and when I tried on the post I did here it wouldn't work. Anyway, so glad you have gone back to doing more whittling. Look forward to seeing the finished walking stick no matter how long it takes you to finish.
Vicky wanted to do. My younger self would climb any tree that had accessible limbs, along with sitting on the top of the monkey bars my dad put in our backyard.
I loved the height, I felt free and would sit and dream.
Now, as I look at trees I wish I was sitting on the highest safe limb.
I was unable to fulfill my homework and climb a tree this past weekend due to thunderstorms each day, SO,
I adjusted my homework by doing another activity younger Vicky loved- Gymnastics. Going with my granddaughter to “little gym” Sunday morning, I participated with her in some of her activities. Forward rolls, log rolls, hanging on the rings, and walking on the balance beam brought back great memories.
I plan to continue this momentum and keep participating in activities that brought my younger and older self happiness.
My take away is-
do not let your older self say you can’t do something you enjoyed in the past. Go for it, try it, you may succeed and find the joy you had in the past.
I spoke to my inner child and it brought me back to what I did when I was a kid . The funny thing is that I still do it now too.
I have always been fascinated with weather and clouds. This exercise brought me back to long in he middle of the grass and staring at the clouds on a sunny day. I look at the shapes and figure out what they look like ( animals, faces… etc)
I still do this all the time, I lie in the backyard
It is peaceful and feels like I’m floating.
What it taught me was to take some time to relax and take a break. Take some time during the day for yourself.
Laying on the grass watching the clouds was one of my favorite summertime activities! You have inspired me to do that again when it gets a bit warmer,…
Thank you Graham for giving us the best homework ever. As a teacher, I don’t think I ever had a student thank me for homework. 😊
I had an amazing childhood, traveling, playing with cousins and the neighborhood children, riding bikes, climbing trees…. When I first heard what we should do as our homework, I wondered what my inner child would say. Almost immediately, she said ride a horse. When I was a teenager, I rode often as a part of the 4-H riding club where we rode in parades and rodeo grand entries, and we participated in fun activities at area play days. When I went to college, life happened and I quit riding. It’s been many years since I’ve ridden, but when I started watching Heartland, I realized how badly I missed it. Unfortunately, I was not able to complete this assignment last week. However, I have a trip planned in about 4 weeks with some amazing ladies to a dude ranch near San Antonio, Texas. A trail ride is definitely one of our planned activities. Maybe a few pictures will be shared.
Hi Graham, Thank you for this live that encouraged us to look back at our childhood and ask our inner child what they would like to do. I have no real recollection of my childhood and unlike some of the others I never got any big revelation about it. I was not expecting to hear anything when I asked little Teresa what she would like to do and to my surprise I heard 'I want to have a swing". So I went on line and looked up all the Playgrounds around Geelong and chose one which was very nice. SO Saturday evening I took my eldest son with me and went to the playground to have a swing. He took some photos and a video so, as he said, you could see that I was actually swinging not just sitting on the swing. Unable to post video here even though I was able to post it on a comment to one that I thought was from you but it was from Barbara and now it has been taken off so cannot copy it here. I did learn something from this exercise and that was that I very rarely have times of fun in my life. Times when I can just have lots of fun and be joyful. So thank you for giving us the opportunity to do this exercise
Good afternoon Graham when you gave us the homework, I kind of sat with my inner child and thought about what to do. As time went on, I kept thinking what would my inner child like to do. Well I had many thoughts, but never really could think of any that I wanted to do. So this last Saturday my husband surprised me with an adult like Chuck E. Cheese if you know what that is ha ha. Well this place had Bowling mini golf basketball and a race car simulator. So we played a few games of bowling a few games of shuffleboard, but my favorite thing was the race car simulator. As a teenager I watched my brother and my dad drag race near our home. And I just fell in love with it. I always wanted to get into a race car and go a couple of laps, but I never did as a teenager. So when we went to this adult like Chuck E. Cheese they had this race car simulator. Took me a little while to figure out how to get it running a little boy came up to me and said you need to press the gas a little harder😂. Well, once I was able to get going in my first round, I hit the wall 😂but once I got the hang of it and was able to work the gas and the brake I ended up finishing the race at the fastest time and had a ball in the simulator. My inner child couldn’t have been more happy.
The moral of my inner child is even though I’m older. I can still have as much fun as I want. I’m hoping to go back with a few of my friends and have the time of my life. And hopefully they will have fun as well.
Hello Graham, I thought I had left this yesterday, but I constantly have conversations with my inner child because a lot of times I feel like I’m a kid at heart and I think I got that from my Father but needless to say I had a wonderful childhood, but there are certain things that I like to do. I was kind of a tomboy so I like to do with the boys did. I love climbing trees, walking in the rain, squishing my toes in the mud or walking on the beach squishing my toes in the sand trying to find seashells, but mud was one of my favorites and I didn’t mind getting wet so my memory today and or yesterday as I went to the lake, I needed to walk the dog so I took him to the lake with me and we walked the whole beach area as close to the water as possible seeking out nice smooth rocks. As a child we used to collect the smooth rocks and my mom gave us an assortment of house paint that were left over for us to paint on the rocks and make designs any kind of art we wanted to or just write on them. We did this and then we would hide them in our neighborhood for others to find. I continued this practice for many years when I was out in Arizona a few years ago they’re very avid about collecting rocks painting on them and hiding them in the Lowe’s and the Menards gardens for people to find it was fun, but they also had an actual painted rock garden where you could go out and leave your rocks and maybe select one from the rock garden that you particularly liked and on the back would be the name of the person that did it in the state that they lived in, which was fun so I like to do that and I’m going to continue doing that
What I took from this homework was that you have to maintain that inner child otherwise, you lose our spark, and our desire for curiosity and adventure.
Yes, I’ve given up climbing trees, but I’ll never give up being around water where I can collect rocks and anytime there’s a rain storm when It is remote control warm enough to go outside. I’ll be happy to walk in the rain and squish my feet in the mud.
Sheila, thank you for sharing this. Being around water was always one of my greatest joys. I too was a tomboy. Love the idea of the rocks. I have some friends that do this all the time. 😊🧡
I wish we would have lived closer growing up Sheila. I also liked playing in the mud, climbing trees, and walking in the rain. I love the idea of leaving painted rocks for others to find. You are so right about keeping the spark that helps to keep us alive and feeling young and capable of living our best life. Great post Sheila
I did my inner child homework and she wanted to fly a kite at the beach and walk the drift line. I wa actually smiling when she said that!! Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. Two days of rain followed by four days of high winds and cold temps. So I decided to visit my fabric and make a small quilt showing my kite flying. It will remind me to have more play time for me. And I'm still working on it and watching the weather because I will go and fly that Kite at the beach!!
Carol I’ve always wanted to learn to make quilts. I hope you’ll post a picture when you finish it and I hope the weather cooperates soon so you can fly your kite. Thank you for sharing 😊🧡
I wasn't sure you saw my post with my quilt of flying my kite. I did finish it and managed to get to the beach and get the real kite up in the air. The wind was light and the kite did crazy swooping and diving but I enjoyed the outing. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement.
If you live near a quilt shop, they may be able to help you learn to quilt. Shop owners have great resources and contacts. They can even get you started.
You can learn. I find quilting calming and relaxing. I intend to take a picture and post it along with one of the real kite flying. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Graham. I had a conversation with my inner child. She had some wild ideas of what we could do. However all of them are impossible due to my disability. My inner child wanted to go cross country skiing like I did when I was younger and lived in Northern Michigan. She also wanted to go sledding down Boyne Mountain. Again I told her I couldn't do that. So we decided to take a day trip. I had to wait until my husband came in off the road as he is a long haul trucker. So we were going to go somewhere but it was pouring down very cold rain. So again we couldn't go anywhere. Hopefully the weather will cooperate this week as he is on vacation and maybe we can go on a little day trip. We are thinking of western Oklahoma. When I was thinking about my childhood, my dad used to take us out west (used to live in Michigan). Now living in Oklahoma, I don't think of my childhood much anymore. My granddaughters live in Northern Michigan so I can't do things with them. I used to live bike riding but with my disability I can't even do that. Anyway, your homework assignment was interesting but I realized because of my physical limitations, I can't do the things I want to do. I can only do them in my mind.
Mia, I hope that you and your husband will be able to take that day trip and hopefully you and your husband can take a trip to visit your granddaughters in Northern Michigan, I am sure that just your company alone with bring joy to their lives. Thank you for sharing you post. (Thank-you)
With my husband being a long haul trucker, it is difficult to get the time to go up to Michigan. My son is in the Army in Ft. Riley Kansas. His wife and the girls are supposed to be moving there after school let's put so I'm hoping I can make the 6 hour trip up to see them when they do.
I understand what you are saying I’m in the same boat I was born with a disability I did a lot more when I was younger but my older self can’t do much thanks for sharing 😊❤️
Thanks for the opportunity to share again. It was hard to speak with the echo. Water activities were always part of my childhood whether it was a stream, a river, a lake, a fish pond, a swimming pool or Pacific Ocean and the beach. We spent many summers at my Grandmother's house who lived on a lake. We water skied every summer. We also had fun at the local river, too. Nowadays our property is alongside a river and I see water daily. My grandson and I had great fun recreating my inner child with paper boats and throwing rocks and branches in the river. He also joins me in the pool. I look forward to sharing more of my childhood activities with RJ. I hope he loves the water as he grows and appreciates the calming effect it has. Thanks again for the "Best Homework Assignment EVER"! 😎
Thank you for sharing your Inner Childhood experiences on your grandmother lake house.
Thank you.
Hi Graham, I wanted to say more last night on our chat but it was echoing so I wasn’t able to get my thoughts together. All I wanted to add was that I had asked a couple of friends that I just started hanging around with if they liked to bowl and to my surprise they had both been on leagues on and off like me from a young age. We had so much fun and they thanked me at the end of the night for inviting them and saying it was such a great idea to go bowling. I think their inner child came out that night too. We laughed so much and it brought back so many memories. I wanted to go bowling for a long time just never did so thank you for the push and encouragement to bring my inner child on a date. I definitely will be going again! I hope you and your friends are having fun with the Cyber Truck .
Thank you for inspiring the bowling in me. It is something that I loved doing; I haven't done in years, thank you for your post. I Love It, I will be going to a Bowling Alley near me Soon!!
Thank you.
Hi Gloria Jean, I’m so happy to hear you are going to go bowling soon. It really brought back alot of happy and fun memories for me. I hope the same happens for you. Enjoy 😊
Maria thank you for sharing your bowling date, I grew up going bowling almost every Sunday afternoon with my brother and sister and cousins. I also was on a league as an adult. Can’t say I was very good, but I sure had a lot of fun. 😊🧡. So happy you took your friends and had such a good time
Graham, thanks for the "best ever homework" assignment, it was such a fun experience, as I shared. Flying the kite was something I hadn't done in many years, it was perfect spring day for the activity. As I was flying my kite, I felt like a kid again...just having fun, watching the kite dip, dive and crash made my heart happy, so freeing. Growing up on a farm, my childhood was full of outdoor adventures, playing softball in the cow pasture, building forts in the hay loft, making snow angels, etc. My take away from "flying a kite", was creating the time to let the inner child play, which helps with letting go of stress and worries, recharging and lifting my spirit. The kites are still in my car, so I'll be ready "when the wind" calls. I have several inner child experiences planned for this year, trip to Ireland, ride a carousel again, go sky diving. When I talk to my inner child I envision her riding her bike down the driveway on my childhood farm, waving and calling to me "come on let's play", which came to me during your inner child meditation.
Okay Teach! I kinda colored outside of the lines last night on the chat and didn't correctly do my homework...
(By the way, my inner child has been nagging at me all day, because LITTLE B was a rule follower and THIS B has strayed ... mightily!)
But I had done the homework, only I went off on that tangent🤪
So I've talked to Little B today and she reminded me that we used to love going to a Al Deppe's on Staten Island which was a hot dog joint/arcade/miniature golf/ batting cage place. I did love miniature golf...but I REALLY loved skee ball! I'd always gravitate toward that rather than the arcade games. Sooooooo..... on Wednesday which is my day off from babysitting I'm going to a place here in Olean called GOOD TIMES...which is their version of Al Deppe's!
It has a bit more...miniature golf, sand volleyball, bowling and an arcade with SKEE BALL! I'll let you know all about it after I go!
And yes I had also bought a paint by number kit because I loved those as a kid. I've been doing that for 3 days.
What did I find out?
I can't easily see the numbers anymore, and have already painted the wrong color in a few places..
This is going to take a magnifying glass!!! And better lighting!!!!
Cheers! ❤️🙏
Oh Barbara I loved your share the other night. You spoke with your inner child and bringing back all those memories had to have been overwhelming. You have inspired me from the first time I met you in Buffalo. Skee Ball is one of my favorite things to do or at least was when I was younger. I’ll have to add that to my “Inner Child Bucket List”. 🧡🧡🧡
Cindy, you are such a dear person to me...and so very kind. Perhaps one day we can take Little C and Little B to play Skee Ball one day. After all, we aren't so very far from each other!❤️🙏
I would absolutely love that 🧡
Thank you Graham and all for sharing your wonderful stories! It was so inspiring to hear about what brings out your inner child. I took the opportunity to jump on my trampoline and it was an absolute blast! It reminded me of the pure joy and freedom we often forget as adults. Let's keep embracing our inner child and finding those moments of fun!🤩
We sold our trampoline when my sons started high school. I miss it. Keep jumping and having fun Irene. 🙃
I asked my inner child what filled your heart with laughter and joy. She whispered, without, hesitation, running in the wind before a storm. The freedom, carefree sprit, light and airy feeling. I paused, thought and looked outside at the trees blowing. I ran out the door into the wind, to see if I could recapture that feeling. Letting go of stress, letting go of control, capture freedom. That feeling, that memory, of what I had forgotten came flooding back, a lesson forgotten now revived. It was magical. Best homework ever. Thank you Graham.
Many thanks to Graham and all who shared their homework last night. Mine is a little different so I will try to be brief as I explain why. I put a wall up to block my childhood years for most of my adult life. Several months ago I listened to one of Graham’s poems, I think it was a poem but I could never find it when I went back to look. I tried to go back and talk to my inner child but I would just start crying every time. Barbara and some other members tried to give me words of encouragement but I was still having a hard time. The Jerry Wise podcast started my breakthrough. I realized that I was focusing on all of the bad times I remembered and they were overshadowing the good ones. It finally hit me that the good times always centered around my deep love for my three brothers and three sisters and some of the fun times we had with each other. That’s what I started talking to my inner child about. Now my tears have been replaced with smiles. Siblings are one the best gifts that life can give. I talk to all but one of my brothers and sisters every day or bi-weekly. So my homework was to call my brother than I haven’t spoken to in several weeks. We got caught up and spoke for an hour. It was very comforting! One other thing. I have always been my worst critic. Lately I have been complementing myself more rather than criticizing myself because I realized I am also criticizing my inner child. It has helped me so much in feeling good about myself. Thank you Graham, Jerry Wise, Barbara, and all of the members who have continually encouraged me on my journey. May God bless you all! 🙏
Kathleen I’m so happy for you. Thank you for sharing this. Just as Graham, Jerry, Barbara and others have encouraged and inspired you what you shared will do the same. Graham has a special gift and through his love, kindness, compassion, intelligence, heart and connection to a higher power he brings others into our lives that give us the opportunity and power to grow. This community is. God sent. 😊🧡🙏🏻
Oh, Cindy, thank you for your thoughtful words! I totally agree that Graham is a unique young man, the “best of the best!” He has built a beautiful community here. I am so grateful!
Thanks for sharing your story of connecting with your inner child and focusing on recalling the happy memories with your siblings. Replacing tears with smiles….blessings!
I appreciate your kind words. Many thanks, Linda.
Kathleen, thank you so much for being vulnerable here and sharing how hard it is to break through the long held childhood hurts to now discover the warmth and love you've shared with your siblings has always been there. You are indeed fortunate that you have them as they are the humans who have gone through life together with you from the beginning.
My breakthrough took such a long time to happen but now I feel lighter than air because those shackles of hurt and past wrongs have been released. I found it wasn't my place to forgive, because what right do I have to do that? I found release after more of an acceptance of what occurred and realization that this was part of my life meant to happen. And my part in this was to learn and appreciate that I had this lesson so I could evolve and grow.
Maybe it's a hard pill to swallow but I put my ego aside and knew I would never look back and see ugliness, only love and joy that was buried deep down before.
I hope we can talk again Kathleen as I felt a kinship of sorts after our first encounter in that breakout room. We can help each other be the best version of ourselves!
❤️🙏
Barbara, you always express yourself so beautifully! I am so happy that you were able to experience that release and continue to grow. I too enjoyed our conversation in the breakout room. You have been an inspiration to me ever since and have helped me more than you know. Thank you. 🙏❤️
Kathleen, thank you for the reminder to focus on the good times and memories. I need to hear this again and again. I'm happy you are now focusing on the good times with your siblings. Peace! ❤
Thanks, Dia. I have always appreciated your encouragement!
Kathleen, you speaking about hour siblings got me to thinking. I have a brother who passed away at an early age due to a virus. My oldest sister passed away 2 years ago this July. I found her on her floor unresponsive after she and I had not spoke to each other for more than 30 years. God gave us 3 weeks together. I have 2 younger siblings that the only time we talk to each other is to say happy birthday or merry Christmas. I have no idea what put a wedge between us. I've reached out to them but I never hear back except on my birthday or Christmas. I'm so glad you were able to catch up with your brother. Maybe one day my sisters will decide to talk to me.
Mia, I do remember you posting about your sister and the 3 weeks you spent together. I was so very happy for you both. We never know what God has planned for us. Maybe He will provide you with an opportunity to find that special closeness with your younger siblings. I really hope so. God bless you. 🙏
Thank you so much for touching my life with your post and I appreciated the love that you have for your siblings..........(thank you).
That means a lot, Gloria. Thank you so much!
I am happy to hear that you are celebrating the blessings and happy moments of your childhood and staying connected to your siblings.
Keep complimenting yourself daily, you deserve each of them.
Thanks, Vicky, for your kind words. I have always appreciated you for the way you continue to help others on this platform find their way to a better life.
A story well told Kathleen. I enjoyed reading it, and i'm so glad that you found your way back to where you needed to be. I applaud you.👏👏👏👏
Thanks for your words of encouragement, Kathleen. I appreciate your kindness.
Kathleen, thank you for sharing your wonderful breakthrough. So beautiful and inspiring. 🙏🕯🙏🤗💕
It was a very uplifting experience! I appreciate your encouraging words, Karen.
The comment I posted yesterday seems to have disappeared? ... so here it is again...
This Live was a fantastic experience. Hearing from several of our Time Has Come friends tell of their inspiring experiences, was a joy. And hearing how transformational Barbara's and Cindy's experiences were was very moving and brought tears of joy to my eyes. My experience so far with my homework has had a greater impact than I expected. I chose to try whittling a walking stick again. I've made many over the years ... some for me, some as gifts and some for charity fund raisers. I gave it up years ago as my hands became arthritic. I simply couldn't sit down for hours at a time so gave it up completely. As I reflected on my homework I received very clear guidance... just do a little at a time. I've had two 20 minute sessions so far, and it was wonderful. It felt great to return to a favorite creative pastime. It was also an important reminder that it doesn't have to be all or nothing, and as Cindy beautifully expressed, it doesn't have to be perfect! Thanks Graham and thanks to all who shared their experiences. Looking forward to reading everyone's homework experience in the comments.
Karen, looking forward to seeing the completed project….you inspire me to get back to my creative projects…letting inner child join me in the process!
Karen I’m so happy you were moved to try whittling again. I’m so excited to see your progress and the finished walking stick. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. What I’ve learned through my growth since I’ve been following Graham and been a member of this amazing community is that what makes me special are my little imperfections. Love ya 😊🧡🙏🏻
Love you too my friend. Thank you for your encouragement. 🤗💕
I cant wait to see the finished product. My brother in law made a cane and I won it at our annual family reunion. He actually used part of a deer antler on the handle. I use it on uneven surfaces. It has special meaning just because its home made. I also have my Grandfathers cane that he carved..it is pretty primitive but I still cherish it.I am hoping to get back to quilting. I made quilts for my siblings and both my daughters....now it is time to start on my grandkids!
Your xanes sound like special treasures. Chris has an old Irish blackthorn cane that was his grandmother's. It has a bone handle that is attached to a slender sword on the inside.
Karen the same thing happened to me too. I was able to post the video on that one and when I tried on the post I did here it wouldn't work. Anyway, so glad you have gone back to doing more whittling. Look forward to seeing the finished walking stick no matter how long it takes you to finish.
Thanks for your support Teresa. I'll do some follow ups as my project continues. 🤗💕
Karen, thank you for inspiring all of us. Thank you.
Climbing trees was the activity younger
Vicky wanted to do. My younger self would climb any tree that had accessible limbs, along with sitting on the top of the monkey bars my dad put in our backyard.
I loved the height, I felt free and would sit and dream.
Now, as I look at trees I wish I was sitting on the highest safe limb.
I was unable to fulfill my homework and climb a tree this past weekend due to thunderstorms each day, SO,
I adjusted my homework by doing another activity younger Vicky loved- Gymnastics. Going with my granddaughter to “little gym” Sunday morning, I participated with her in some of her activities. Forward rolls, log rolls, hanging on the rings, and walking on the balance beam brought back great memories.
I plan to continue this momentum and keep participating in activities that brought my younger and older self happiness.
My take away is-
do not let your older self say you can’t do something you enjoyed in the past. Go for it, try it, you may succeed and find the joy you had in the past.
Playing with grandchildren brings out the inner child…fun times. I like your plan to keep finding the joy!
Great homework assignment Vicky. I agree with your take away. Thank you for sharing 😊🧡
Your post is bringing tears to my eyes. It feels so good to hear your inner childhood stories, thank you for sharing.
Hey Everyone,
I spoke to my inner child and it brought me back to what I did when I was a kid . The funny thing is that I still do it now too.
I have always been fascinated with weather and clouds. This exercise brought me back to long in he middle of the grass and staring at the clouds on a sunny day. I look at the shapes and figure out what they look like ( animals, faces… etc)
I still do this all the time, I lie in the backyard
It is peaceful and feels like I’m floating.
What it taught me was to take some time to relax and take a break. Take some time during the day for yourself.
Laying on the grass watching the clouds was one of my favorite summertime activities! You have inspired me to do that again when it gets a bit warmer,…
Love this Laryssa! Thank you for sharing. Taking time to just sit and watch the clouds sounds amazing 😊🧡
It sounds so relaxing, what a beautiful thing to do.
Thank you for sharing.
That's so beautiful Laryssa.
Thank you Graham for giving us the best homework ever. As a teacher, I don’t think I ever had a student thank me for homework. 😊
I had an amazing childhood, traveling, playing with cousins and the neighborhood children, riding bikes, climbing trees…. When I first heard what we should do as our homework, I wondered what my inner child would say. Almost immediately, she said ride a horse. When I was a teenager, I rode often as a part of the 4-H riding club where we rode in parades and rodeo grand entries, and we participated in fun activities at area play days. When I went to college, life happened and I quit riding. It’s been many years since I’ve ridden, but when I started watching Heartland, I realized how badly I missed it. Unfortunately, I was not able to complete this assignment last week. However, I have a trip planned in about 4 weeks with some amazing ladies to a dude ranch near San Antonio, Texas. A trail ride is definitely one of our planned activities. Maybe a few pictures will be shared.
Looking forward to the experience….our inner child will be smiling
That’s awesome Leigh. Have fun! I can’t wait to see pictures. 😊🧡
Leigh, don’t you mean an equine retreat 🐴🐎😂😂😂
Hi Graham, Thank you for this live that encouraged us to look back at our childhood and ask our inner child what they would like to do. I have no real recollection of my childhood and unlike some of the others I never got any big revelation about it. I was not expecting to hear anything when I asked little Teresa what she would like to do and to my surprise I heard 'I want to have a swing". So I went on line and looked up all the Playgrounds around Geelong and chose one which was very nice. SO Saturday evening I took my eldest son with me and went to the playground to have a swing. He took some photos and a video so, as he said, you could see that I was actually swinging not just sitting on the swing. Unable to post video here even though I was able to post it on a comment to one that I thought was from you but it was from Barbara and now it has been taken off so cannot copy it here. I did learn something from this exercise and that was that I very rarely have times of fun in my life. Times when I can just have lots of fun and be joyful. So thank you for giving us the opportunity to do this exercise
Thank you for your post. I am getting so many ideas of fun things to do for the rest of the year. Teresa, thank you for sharing,
Good afternoon Graham when you gave us the homework, I kind of sat with my inner child and thought about what to do. As time went on, I kept thinking what would my inner child like to do. Well I had many thoughts, but never really could think of any that I wanted to do. So this last Saturday my husband surprised me with an adult like Chuck E. Cheese if you know what that is ha ha. Well this place had Bowling mini golf basketball and a race car simulator. So we played a few games of bowling a few games of shuffleboard, but my favorite thing was the race car simulator. As a teenager I watched my brother and my dad drag race near our home. And I just fell in love with it. I always wanted to get into a race car and go a couple of laps, but I never did as a teenager. So when we went to this adult like Chuck E. Cheese they had this race car simulator. Took me a little while to figure out how to get it running a little boy came up to me and said you need to press the gas a little harder😂. Well, once I was able to get going in my first round, I hit the wall 😂but once I got the hang of it and was able to work the gas and the brake I ended up finishing the race at the fastest time and had a ball in the simulator. My inner child couldn’t have been more happy.
The moral of my inner child is even though I’m older. I can still have as much fun as I want. I’m hoping to go back with a few of my friends and have the time of my life. And hopefully they will have fun as well.
Shari, that is AWESOME! I was enjoying your experience, I felt that I was at one of those places, thank you for making me feel young.
Thank you Gloria
Hello Graham, I thought I had left this yesterday, but I constantly have conversations with my inner child because a lot of times I feel like I’m a kid at heart and I think I got that from my Father but needless to say I had a wonderful childhood, but there are certain things that I like to do. I was kind of a tomboy so I like to do with the boys did. I love climbing trees, walking in the rain, squishing my toes in the mud or walking on the beach squishing my toes in the sand trying to find seashells, but mud was one of my favorites and I didn’t mind getting wet so my memory today and or yesterday as I went to the lake, I needed to walk the dog so I took him to the lake with me and we walked the whole beach area as close to the water as possible seeking out nice smooth rocks. As a child we used to collect the smooth rocks and my mom gave us an assortment of house paint that were left over for us to paint on the rocks and make designs any kind of art we wanted to or just write on them. We did this and then we would hide them in our neighborhood for others to find. I continued this practice for many years when I was out in Arizona a few years ago they’re very avid about collecting rocks painting on them and hiding them in the Lowe’s and the Menards gardens for people to find it was fun, but they also had an actual painted rock garden where you could go out and leave your rocks and maybe select one from the rock garden that you particularly liked and on the back would be the name of the person that did it in the state that they lived in, which was fun so I like to do that and I’m going to continue doing that
What I took from this homework was that you have to maintain that inner child otherwise, you lose our spark, and our desire for curiosity and adventure.
Yes, I’ve given up climbing trees, but I’ll never give up being around water where I can collect rocks and anytime there’s a rain storm when It is remote control warm enough to go outside. I’ll be happy to walk in the rain and squish my feet in the mud.
Thank you for sharing this adventure it wasfun !
Sheila, thank you for sharing this. Being around water was always one of my greatest joys. I too was a tomboy. Love the idea of the rocks. I have some friends that do this all the time. 😊🧡
Seem to be quite a few tomboys among us!
That would not surprise me at all. I think a lot of us were very adventurous and seeking no typical activities.
I wish we would have lived closer growing up Sheila. I also liked playing in the mud, climbing trees, and walking in the rain. I love the idea of leaving painted rocks for others to find. You are so right about keeping the spark that helps to keep us alive and feeling young and capable of living our best life. Great post Sheila
Vicky, thank you for your encouragement to keep living our best life.
Thanks, Vicky
Hello, I love your inner childhood stories, you took me back when I loved climbing trees and walking in the rain. Thank you.
You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help you reminisce about your childhood.
I did my inner child homework and she wanted to fly a kite at the beach and walk the drift line. I wa actually smiling when she said that!! Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. Two days of rain followed by four days of high winds and cold temps. So I decided to visit my fabric and make a small quilt showing my kite flying. It will remind me to have more play time for me. And I'm still working on it and watching the weather because I will go and fly that Kite at the beach!!
Carol I’ve always wanted to learn to make quilts. I hope you’ll post a picture when you finish it and I hope the weather cooperates soon so you can fly your kite. Thank you for sharing 😊🧡
I wasn't sure you saw my post with my quilt of flying my kite. I did finish it and managed to get to the beach and get the real kite up in the air. The wind was light and the kite did crazy swooping and diving but I enjoyed the outing. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement.
If you live near a quilt shop, they may be able to help you learn to quilt. Shop owners have great resources and contacts. They can even get you started.
Carol
I have finally finished the small quilt with my kite . I thought there was a way to post it but not here.
I think I need to just do another entry further down the list. I will try that. try
You can learn. I find quilting calming and relaxing. I intend to take a picture and post it along with one of the real kite flying. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Graham. I had a conversation with my inner child. She had some wild ideas of what we could do. However all of them are impossible due to my disability. My inner child wanted to go cross country skiing like I did when I was younger and lived in Northern Michigan. She also wanted to go sledding down Boyne Mountain. Again I told her I couldn't do that. So we decided to take a day trip. I had to wait until my husband came in off the road as he is a long haul trucker. So we were going to go somewhere but it was pouring down very cold rain. So again we couldn't go anywhere. Hopefully the weather will cooperate this week as he is on vacation and maybe we can go on a little day trip. We are thinking of western Oklahoma. When I was thinking about my childhood, my dad used to take us out west (used to live in Michigan). Now living in Oklahoma, I don't think of my childhood much anymore. My granddaughters live in Northern Michigan so I can't do things with them. I used to live bike riding but with my disability I can't even do that. Anyway, your homework assignment was interesting but I realized because of my physical limitations, I can't do the things I want to do. I can only do them in my mind.
Mia, I hope that you and your husband will be able to take that day trip and hopefully you and your husband can take a trip to visit your granddaughters in Northern Michigan, I am sure that just your company alone with bring joy to their lives. Thank you for sharing you post. (Thank-you)
With my husband being a long haul trucker, it is difficult to get the time to go up to Michigan. My son is in the Army in Ft. Riley Kansas. His wife and the girls are supposed to be moving there after school let's put so I'm hoping I can make the 6 hour trip up to see them when they do.
Thank you for sharing. It is a Great States. I've never been fishing there; I would love to go fly-fishing on one of the many lakes.
I understand what you are saying I’m in the same boat I was born with a disability I did a lot more when I was younger but my older self can’t do much thanks for sharing 😊❤️