Take Hold of Heaven, Thirteen Spiritual Truths for Parents and Children

By Alice Theriault

This was then —
 
Help!!  I’m calling from the rehab unit of the cosmos!  Is that you, God, the Great Whiz-Bang in the Sky??  It’s me, Alice in Earthland!
 
What was upon my heart to move me to write those crazy words in my journal? Life had been a tad difficult and my heart was crying out for solace!  The world’s pain was within me and as I meditated an idea for a book for children began to come alive. My deep love for children was crying out as so many were sad, sick and suffering.  I began to write and it just kept coming — I wrote for what seemed to be ten minutes and when I looked at the clock — it had been more than an hour!
 
This is now —
 
Yes, I survived that delicious crisis.  Will I ever be the same?  Of course not!
 
That was the humorous cry I emitted a few years ago as I stopped my ordinary life and began to partake of a joyful insanity.  That insanity was my writing career!  The call had been sent forth and I had responded, finally.  Now I can say — I am a writer!
 
And so it was —
 
Creative Spirit, muse of my heart
Light upon my brow with a cheering of delight
Dispel this pall —
I need a gathering of mystics for company
Fill me again, and yet again.
 
That morning during meditation the inner message to bring the children knowledge of their divinity and potential came alive in me, as it would open them to the ultimate in self-esteem. I was to tell the children about their heritage — the greatest gift given.  I believe children should know their worth in the world as they are our future and hope for a joyous and peaceful world.  That is how my newly published book, Take Hold of Heaven, Thirteen Spiritual Truths for Parents and Children, came about!  It truly is my gift of love to all parents and children.      
 
So meet me where I am today: I am a lover of music, literature, beauty in all forms, children, animals, and all small things that have no words, for as an empath, I feel their feelings.  Also, the mysterious beauty of nature, this glorious earth, and all creation fills my heart each moment.  I have known all polarities of life tugging at my heartstrings.  Where there is a heartache — I am there!
 
My parenthood and wonderful, fun-filled thirty year teaching career, with Kindergarten
and First Grade children, is the backdrop of my life’s purpose and expression.

I am first and foremost a parent and a mother, steeped in all the dynamics of motherhood, with devotion and consummate love.  My pearl of wisdom in regard to children is simply love, love and more love.  Let them know how special they are and remember patience and appreciation for their expanding consciousness. You, as a parent, are forming their essential self-esteem with every spoken word of encouragement and praise.  Now that my brood of five children has flown the nest I have quiet moments — wait a minute — some quiet moments — as my youngest daughter, her husband and two growing grandsons live with me!  I must say as I am pushing eighty and a widow that this is a great joy to me.  I remain connected to all of my children and grandchildren, even the beautiful son I lost to Crohn’s Disease eleven years ago.  Streams of love flow from my heart to theirs wherever we happen to be.
 
The quest to discover the meaning of my life in this body form began with a voracious appetite for knowledge.  I had to search, read, muse, know and understand the bottom line meaning of life.  As I read each book and lived each happening I found solace in various spiritual teachings and places of worship.  I sampled metaphysics, spiritual seminars, workshops, etc. as I continued questioning and examining my beliefs. I needed reconciliation with my inner voice calling me to my truth and purpose. I prayed and contemplated the question of who I am and how do I fit into all of this?
 
As to the focus of my spiritual life, I had always been interested in the life of Jesus, known as Jesus Christ.  I voraciously read and searched his true mission and discovered the Mystical Christian tradition; a missing piece for me.  I no longer needed to search, only to reconnect to the power of my own spirituality, my God-Within, which was what he, the Master Jesus, was attempting to convey to us.  I discovered his name was Jeshua ben Joseph and not Mr. Christ!  The word Christ is a title or a “job description”.  This was pivotal for me.
 
In 1990 during a trip to New Mexico with my husband, I was touched by the loving energy of Mary and Jesus in a little, old Indian church, El Sanctuario de Chimayo.  It was in this humble place where the very soil is sacred and used for healing, that I wept for joy as all-consuming unconditional love swept over me.  This was to be a dearly remembered, transformational event I will never forget.
 
The unifying knowledge that a thread of truth runs through all religions was now prevalent in my consciousness and was the divine pattern I needed to begin my service to spirit.  I entered the ministry in 1991, becoming ordained in 1993 in The Universal Church of the Master, an ecumenical church in scope, honoring truths from all faiths. I created a rosary service honoring the Divine Mother, and travel to a beautiful redwood grove in the mountains for gatherings with my group, the Lightweavers.  I also attend a Kriya Yoga temple, as I am diverse in my spirituality and honor the great masters of each faith.  My ministry is in total service to humanity and the uplifting of this planet through the power of each one’s God-Within, utilizing the Creative Force of the Universe abounding everywhere in everything, and everyone.  I believe this teaching will be the norm in the future as our planet evolves.
 
Today, the publishing of my book, “Take Hold of Heaven”, is my opportunity to bring this divine premise to parents and children, to create a wake-up call to accept their greatness, their divine potential and vital cosmic connection.  If we are to create a world of divine light, love and right interaction of all peoples, which is our purpose here, what better place to begin than with the national treasures, our beloved children?  
 
Thank you for listening and may it be well with you.
In Great Love and With Divine Blessings,
Namaste,
Alice Theriault      

Alice Theriault is a retired elementary teacher with thirty years experience.  She is a reverend in the Universal Church of the Master, a poet, and a member of the National League of American Pen Women.  She is a mother of five, grandmother of ten, great-grandmother of three, a lover of planet Earth and all creation.  She resides in San Jose, California, with a bevy of family and three cats, a hamster and two fish.  You can find her book here: Take Hold of Heaven, Thirteen Spiritual Truths for Parents and Children