And a woman who held a babe against
her bosom said, Speak to us of Children.
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's
longing for itself.
They came through you but not from
you.

And though they are with you yet they
belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not
your thoughts,
for they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not
their souls,
for their souls dwell in the house of
tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even
in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek
not to make them like you.
For their life goes not backward nor tarries
with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path
of the infinite, and He bends you with His
might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand
be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

~Kahlil Gibran

Oh Thank you Inda.

I love this book and this excerpt about children is so wonderful.

Love,
Sylvie

Thank you for posting these wonderful words of Gibran. When I think of my own daughter, I cannot help but recognize how much I have been blessed by having her in my life and having the opportunity to teach and to learn. Somewhere on my shelf is 'the prophet.' I think I need to pull it out and re-read it.

Love and blessings to you always Inda,
Joie

Thank you Joie,
beautifully said.

Love, Inda

Thank you for the Gibran,
one of my favorite authors.
This is a specially beautiful
passage.

Gisele

Thank you . This is one of my favorite
authors.

Christina

Oh, Inda, I love this passage...we used it in both my daughter's Christening services. It is such a wonderful reminder. Thank you for sharing it!

Thank you Everyone,
for your kind replies.

Love, Inda