As I stared at my blank computer screen, wondering what I wanted to write about for our Kids & Family issue, an email arrived from my 28-year-old daughter Alina. “I wonder,” I thought, “how she would rate my mothering skills.”
 

So I emailed back, asking, “Do you have anything to say about raising kids? I sometimes feel like I did all the wrong things… yet still ended up with a beautiful, wise daughter. Maybe you could tell me some things I did right, too.”
 

A short time later, I received a beautiful letter from my daughter extolling my best qualities and how she has been blessed and enriched by them. She voiced the things a mother wants to hear from her child. Then she continued, “Yes, we all make mistakes, and sometimes we do not realize the full effect our mistakes will cause down the line.” Then she went on to describe a few particulars. “But,” she wrote, “I want you to know that I love you and forgive you.”
 

Thank goodness for open, honest and forgiving offspring. After all is said and done, we just try to do our best. So I thanked my beautiful daughter for our journey together and noted, “It’s hard to be a parent, because parents too, are a work in progress, with childhood wounds and needs of their own.”
 

Somewhere along the way as we grow up, we figure out that we are really raising ourselves, working to evolve our consciousness to a higher place of learning, living, loving and being. Any ability to guide children into becoming spiritually conscious and purposeful human beings starts from our own experience of realizing some inner balance and higher purpose, a harmonizing of our social, psychological and emotional worlds. I believe that this is our greatest gift to our children.
 

I continue to be grateful that my daughter often welcomes my listening ear and insights for tackling challenges. I can sometimes point her in a helpful direction if her inner compass is unsure. She knows that I’m a safe place and I trust the leadings of her innate wisdom.
 

We hope that our articles this month help you to map your own journey, starting with nutritious foods and natural health remedies for the whole family. Please also join your voice with others urgently petitioning to retain our freedom to access our choice of herbs and food supplements. Attorney Jonathan Emord defines the need in our Action Alert. He shares firsthand knowledge of the crushing impact of recently passed legislation that leading analysts believe will force 20 to 30 percent of existing food supplement companies out of business. Please join me in contacting our elected officials now.
 

As parents and caretakers of Planet Earth, we are accountable to future generations, as well as our families and neighbors. Just remember to love yourself and enjoy the journey along the way.
 

Here’s to growing up and staying young,
 

Sharon Bruckman, Publisher