We offer special services including ceremonies such as Rites of Passage and Transitional Life Coaching for youths who will be graduating or going through a milestone in their life. Rev. Eleanor Fong, who has a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology and Art Therapy, will work directly with the youth and their family. Coaching Sessions can be designed to be a one time service or can be for a weekly or monthly basis.
Baby Blessings
Below are some gathered Poems that reflect a parents love and hope for their baby. We will work together to create a beautiful baby blessing ceremony at the beach. I usually provide a song and hymn at the ceremony. Please email me for more information and details.
"I Am Love" Author Unknown
"Some say I can fly on the wind, yet I haven’t any wings. Some have found me floating on the open sea, yet I cannot swim. Some have felt my warmth on cold nights, yet I have no flame. And though you cannot see me, I lay between two lovers at the hearth of fireplaces. I am the twinkle in your child’s eyes. I am hidden in the lines of your mother's face. I am your father's shield as he guards your home. And yet… Some say I am stronger than steel, yet I am as fragile as a tear. Some have never searched for me, yet I am around them always. Some say I die with loss, yet I am endless. And though you cannot hear me, I dance on the laughter of children. I am woven into the whispers of passion. I am in the blessings of Grandmothers. I embrace the cries of newborn babies. And yet… Some say I am a flower, yet I am also the seed. Some have little faith in me, yet I will always believe in them. Some say I cannot cure the ill, yet I nourish the soul. And though you cannot touch me, I am the gentle hand of the kind. I am the fingertips that caress your cheek at night. I am the hug of a child. I am love.” ************************************************************************************************************************************ "Ithaka (translation/adaptation by Sarah Ban Breathnach)
"Pray that your journey be long, full of many summer mornings when with much pleasure and much joy you anchor in harbors never seen before; Browse through Phoenician markets, to purchase exquisite treasures- mother-of-pearl and coral, ebony and amber and sensual perfumes of all kinds- as much as you desire. Visit many Egyptian cities, content to sit at the feet of sages, eager and open to receive learning. Keep Ithaka always in your mind. Your arrival there is your destiny. But do not hurry the journey at all; be patient. Better that it lasts for many years- longer than you can even imagine. So that finally, when you reach this sacred isle, you will be wise, abundantly fulfilled by all you have gained along the way; no longer expecting Ithaka to make you wealthy, no longer needing Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka has given you the journey, the chance to discover who you have always been. Without Ithaka as your inspiration, you never would have set out in search of Wholeness.
And should you find her poor, Ithaka did not deceive you. Authentic as you have become, full of wisdom, beauty and grace, enriched and enlightened by all you have experienced You will finally understand what all of life's Ithakas truly mean." ***************************************************************************************************************************** From "The Prophet" By Kahlil Gibran
"And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, 'Speak to us of Children.' And he said: 'Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable."
Now this is the day. Our child, Into the daylight You will go standing. Preparing for your day.
Our child, it is your day, This day. May your road be fulfilled. In your thoughts may we live, May we be the ones whom your thoughts will embrace, May you help us all to finish our road *******************************************************************************
Celtic Blessing
May the strength of the wind and the light of the sun, The softness of the rain and the mystery of the moon Reach you and fill you. May beauty delight you and happiness uplift you, May wonder fulfill you and love surround you. May your step be steady and your arm be strong, May your heart be peaceful and your word be true. May you seek to learn, may you learn to live, May you live to love, and may you love - always.
Sun, Moon, Stars, all you that move in the heavens, hear us! Into your midst has come a new life.
Make his/her path smooth, that he/she may reach the brow of the first hill!
Winds, Clouds, Rain, Mist, all you that move in the air, hear us! Into your midst has come a new life. Make his/her path smooth, that he/she may reach the brow of the second hill!
Hills, Valleys, Rivers, Lakes, Trees, Grasses, all you of the earth, hear us! Into your midst has come a new life. Make his/her path smooth, that he/she may reach the brow of the third hill!
Birds, great and small, that fly in the air, Animals, great and small, that dwell in the forest, Insects that creep among the grasses and burrow in the ground, hear us! Into your midst has come a new life. Make his/her path smooth, that he/she may reach the brow of the fourth hill!
All you of the heavens, all you of the air, all you of the earth, hear us! Into your midst has come a new life. Make his/her path smooth, then shall he/she travel beyond the four hills! *********************************************************************************************
THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL
We give you the greatest gift of all, a headstart that will last throughout your life
We shall do our best to teach you, but it will be up to you to learn
We shall try to guide you in the right directions, but it will be up to you to make the right decisions
We shall also encourage you to seek your own independence but it will be up to you to be responsible We shall tell you about 'drink and drugs', but it will be up to you to say 'no'
We shall teach you about respect, but you will choose whether to appreciate it's value
We shall encourage you to try, but you should want to succeed for yourself
We shall teach you kindness, but it will be up to you to be good-natured
We shall teach you to share, but it will be up to you to be unselfish
We shall model values for you. but you have to develop your own morals We give you this knowledge as a gift with all our love. You are the poem I dreamed of writing, The masterpiece I longed to paint.
You are the shining star I reached for in my ever-hopeful quest For life fulfilled... You are my child. Now with all things I am blessed.
RELIGIOUS AND CHRISTIAN READING FOR A BABY BLESSING
PRAYER CELEBRATING LIFE
For the gift of a child, [NAME] whose innocence and laughter keep the world young, we rejoice and give thanks. May this new life, which we have accepted into our community of ideals and friendship, receive abundantly the blessings of health, love, knowledge, and wisdom, and in her/his turn give back richly to the common heritage that endures from generation to generation. And for the gift of parenthood made to [PARENT] and [PARENT] we also give our thanks. May they and all parents everywhere give their children security, freedom and love, and may they be blessed with much joy, much laughter and much patience in the divine task of nurture. Amen
PRAYER OF SPIRIT
Give us the spirit of the child. Give us the child who lives within—the child who trusts, the child who imagines, the child who sings, the child who receives without reservation, the child who gives without judgement. Give us a child’s eyes, that we may receive the beauty and freshness of this day like a sunrise. Give us a child’s ears, that we may hear the music of mythical times. Give us a child’s heart, that we may be filled with wonder and delight. Give us a child’s faith, that we may be cured of our cynicism.
Give us the spirit of the child, who is not afraid to need, who is not afraid to love. Amen.
PRAYER OF JOY
We are glad to share the joy of these parents [PARENT] and [PARENT]. With them we wonder at the miracle of life recreating itself. We promise to uphold them in the task of nurturing their child and dedicate ourselves to building a community in which the possibilities of their child’s life may be fully realized. We speak their child’s name [CHILD] honouring in him/her the rights and dignities of the human person.
PRAYER OF HOPE
With all our hopes and dreams for your future, we celebrate your being. May you always feel the love that surrounds you. May your days be filled with wonder and your nights be gentle. May your years on this earth be blessed with strength, health and wisdom. May the love you are be the power forever guiding your light on this earth. May God bless and keep you. And may your days be good and long upon this earth.
PRAYER OF GRACE
Heavenly Father, we praise you for this childs birth—surround him/her with your blessings that he/she may know your love, be protected from evil, and know your goodness all his/her days. May he/she learn to love all that is true, grow in wisdom and strength and, come through faith to the fullness of your Grace.
May God the Father of all bless these parents and godparents and give them grace to love and care for their child. May God give them wisdom, patience and faith, and help them to provide for this beloved childs needs.
Eternal Father, we thank you for the rich variety of the families you have created for us, and for the relationships which we see and enjoy within them. Help us to respect and learn from each other. We thank you too for love that binds the families that are here today, and ask your blessing on them.
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son shared at Nazareth the life of an earthly home, bless the home of this child, may it provide shelter, warmth and security to the family and to all those who visit.
All this we ask in Jesus’s name, Amen.
PRAYER OF PROTECTION Blessings on you, Child of God, Child of the Universe. May you be wrapped in care and protected from all harm. May all that touches you be tender and kind. May stars dazzle your eyes and rainbows delight your heart. May affirming words and glances encourage the goodness that is you. May you have fun exploring the world and discovering hidden treasures….
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil, For thine is the kingdom, And the power, and the glory,