Sacred Empowerment

One of the lessons my children had to do this past weekend was experience a walk through nature while discussing the things each could thank Oludumare for as it pertained to the environment. Then we headed back into the house and proceeded with the same experiment there. After wards I read the book Mama God Papa God. The children next had to draw pictures of Mama God and Papa God (from their own mind’s eye) and write a letter to them detailing their thank you’s for nature and the nurture at home. Every last picture looked like them or like a close relative. My ten-year-old son remarked “didn’t Michelangelo use his relatives to paint the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling? If he can use his family to paint God then I can use mine.” And who can argue with that. We talked about at that moment (as we often do) how it is important to see in the image of the Most High that energy which is both feminine and masculine. Just as it takes a man and a woman to conceive, it takes both energies to manifest the greatness that we witness inside and outside our homes.
I thought I could share one letter so I decided to type my six-year-old’s being she is the youngest. I wanted to allow her perception to justify if the sacred empowerment I had hoped instill in them was something she could express in her own way. You be the judge. My six year old’s letter (with help from her oldest sister) went like this:

Dear Mama and Papa Oludumare,

I thank you for Yeye and Baba and my sisters and brother. I am happy to be black and have food and mud-cloth dresses.
I like the rain-stick made out of wood from the back yard. I can play the rainstick for you too. I like my house, the garden and the grass where grandpapa’s ashes live. I am happy you made mama earth and mama moon and papa sun. I made you look like me because I am strong and pretty too- like you. Yeye says I look like a goddess so I must be. I’ll write you again another day. Bye I love you.

NAIMA IYO EL-JAMAH BOMANI