January 5, 2019

Dear Aspen Chapel Families,      Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break filled with good health, relaxation, fun, and cheer! The pace of the holidays can make us feel glad to start the new year with familiar routines and healthy habits.      If as parents we're modeling how to make resolutions or set goals for the New Year, our children are paying attention and perhaps thinking about their own goals for the year. However, even adults can get discouraged right off the bat when resolutions are broken in the first week due to illness, unpredictable stress at work or in the family, more festive obligations and gatherings, or just the obstacles we face in our daily round. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the growing list of tasks we must do in order to meet our goals when we get met with setbacks. So if adults can feel discouraged, then kids can feel discouraged as well! They also experience setbacks with school work, illness, friends, siblings, and exhaustion from the holidays.      With this in mind, I'd like to start the New Year focusing on the theme of FAITH. It's so easy to start a negative thinking spiral when things don't go our way or when what we want doesn't happen when we want it, but when we have Faith, it builds resilience and the trust required to surrender to the process of life unfolding. We will spend the next few weeks discussing what faith is, what we have faith in, and how we can use our faith to guide us and encourage us when life throws us curve balls. In addition, we'll work on meditation and relaxation techniques as a tool children can use when it's necessary to listen to their inner guide.     "Take a leap of Faith and begin this wondrous year by believing. Believe in yourself. And believe that there is a loving Source - a Sower of Dreams -- just waiting to be asked to help you make your dreams come true." - Sarah Ban Breathnach    Hope to see you tomorrow! In Peace and Blessings, Michelle Skagen Aspen Chapel Youth Coordinator If you ever have questions regarding our services or your children's needs, please email me at michelle@aspenchapel.org