3 easy ways to be a more spiritual family

1. Roses and Thorns Roses and Thorns is the dinner ritual, brought into the spotlight by Barack and Michelle Obama, that encourages deliberate and spiritual living. Each person describes one good thing that happened that day (the Rose) and one tough problem they had to deal with (the Thorn).

2. "Step into the story" Spirituality and empathy are closely intertwined. The ability to sympathetically relate to someone else’s experience is the foundation for both gratitude and hope. To nurture this trait, encourage kids to “step into the story” when you’re reading or watching TV. Ask them to choose a character and share how they’d think, feel and act in a similar situation.

3. Silence is golden  One that I can’t wait to try? Experimenting with silence. Have your kids sit in silence for five, 10 or (if they can do it!) 15 minutes. The idea is to encourage them to be with themselves, and their feelings and thoughts. Peacefully.

A version of this article appeared in our December 2015 issue with the headline, “Easy ways to nurture spirituality” p. 76.

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