Let me start by saying a big HELLO to anyone who is visiting The Patch for the very first time, following the latest changes here.
For those of you who have been following events at The Patch for a while, you'll know that I have hinted about faith in our lives on more than one occasion, but never quite managed to take the "leap of faith" it required to focus on it in more detail.
These past couple of years in particular have made me realise that I need to write more about our faith, because it is that very thing which has helped us survive the trauma of my pregnancy and has shaped the parenting style we have developed with Little Man.
TJ and I have been feeling we really need to "live our faith more". That isn't to say that we haven't relied on our faith in the past. It has inspired us and kept us going on many occasions. But we haven't been very good at either celebrating it or speaking about it. And we want to change this.
We want to raise Little Man in a family environment where the spiritual is part of everyday life. Where he is actively encouraged to develop his own understanding of the Divine (as he grows I know this will adapt and change with his ability to understand things in different ways). And ultimately we want him to know that it is safe and okay to choose his own path, whatever that may be.
I follow a Unitarian style of thinking, with a Pagan slant. TJ is much more orientated in the Pagan, especially Druid, sphere. Both paths fit in very nicely with each other and allow us to speak openly amongst ourselves. However I know that as Little Man grows he is going to face more "mainstream" religions and I want us to be able to guide him to make his own choice (not ours) on what he feels is right for him. And to do this we need to encourage both active celebration of our own faith and an interest in the faiths of others.
I have always been very hesitant about talking about these things on the blog. But I feel the time is right to let go of my inhibitions and truly use the blog as a place to explore the various aspects of our life as a family (in spiritual terms) and also the questions that pop up from time to time in my life. I think about very deep things on a very regular basis and it is about time I expressed them a little more. After all, if I cannot do it on my own blog, how will I be able to do it with any kind of success when Little Man does start asking the "big questions"?
So that is why The Patch has had a revamp. I feel excited about this new branch I am taking. I hope that you will join me once in a while as I blog more about faith and parenting.
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