L.R. Knost Quotes

As night falls, let the day's troubles slip away into
the darkness and rest well knowing tomorrow
brings a new day, a new chance to do things better,
a new opportunity to make things right. And when
the new day dawns, awaken a little wiser, a little older,
a little more prepared for the future. That's simply
the pattern of life, my friends, a tapestry of light
threaded with darkness, laughter threaded with tears,
hope threaded with despair, wisdom threaded with
failure, insight threaded with regret. It's just how
we learn and grow as humans, and that's okay.
It's enough to end each day knowing we've done
our best and we'll do our best again tomorrow.

Learning together to live well in an imperfect world, loving each other despite or even because of our imperfections, and growing as humans while we grow our little humans, those are the goals of gentle parenting.

They say that music
soothes the soul.
I think that's true.
Sometimes.
But other times music
stirs the soul,
reaching deep and
digging up pain
we need to process,
thoughts we need to
wrestle with, fears we
need to work through,
sadness we need to sit
with, loss we need
to lay to rest.
Music is powerful
because it can reach past
the guardhouse of the mind,
taking on those dragons
that jealously hoard the
glittering treasure of
the human spirit,
and set the tortured soul free.

The word disciple is the root word in discipline, so in a completely literal sense to discipline our children means to disciple them.

The secret to loving others despite their imperfections is loving ourselves despite ours.

Not coincidentally, the best way to parent a child is the same as the best way to treat other humans... with kindness, respect, compassion, honesty, acceptance, and peace.

If we slow down and take the time to listen every soul we encounter can teach us something new. Wisdom comes in every shape and size and color and language and form imaginable. The only true limitation is our own inability to see and hear and understand the infinite beauty and wisdom of the human spirit, regardless of its packaging.

The world told you
that you had to hide your pain,
to be small and quiet,
so you wouldn't rock the boat.
And you believed.
Then one day you saw
the silent pain in the eyes
of a small and quiet girl
in a boat bound
for nowhere.
And a warrior awoke.
You freed the girl from the silent shackles
and told her that her story mattered,
to tell it deep and wide and loud,
to set the boat ablaze
with every fierce and fiery word
so all the world could hear
and heal.
And you believed.

I don't want to stand before God and tell him that I religiously demanded morality from his children. I want to stand beside God and tell him that I religiously demonstrated love for his children.

But do you really believe that Jesus’ New Covenant is for everyone except children? That grace, mercy, unconditional love, and forgiveness are for adults only? The disciples made that mistake, and Jesus said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Luke 18:16 Five

In your most challenging parenting moments, take a deep breath and try to remember that the moment your child is at their most challenging is the moment your child is struggling with the most challenges.

Children are compassionate by nature. Engaging their compassion with communication and connection instead of igniting their self-preservation with threats and punishments is not only more effecting in guiding their behavior, it's also more effective in growing their humanity.

Beauty is not found in uniformity,
nor value in conformity. It is in our
colors and quirks and flaws and scars
that true beauty and value unfold,
because that is where our stories are told.

No child is born filled with hate. No child is born crippled by fear. No child is born inflamed by rage. Each life is a chance to make things better. Each generation has a chance to do things better. This is our time, our turn, our chance. Let's do better.

BIG connections are created by caring about the little things that matter to little people