Empowering Parents :: Part Six
I hope that you are enjoying our exclusive online presentation of "Empowering Parents" by Rev. Dr. Trey Kuhne, LMFT. Here is part six:
Each issue of this series has been to share some insight, learning, teaching, or idea to help parents address the elements of life in their world with this Empowering Parents series. Whether it is addressing your children, your marriage, communication issues, or just the stressors of life itself, the ongoing needs asked of you as parents is unending. So this month I would like to offer something a little different that may help right your world and equip you to continue to be an effective parent.
We are always on the go and on the do. Life demands that from us. Life demands and we give. We give to our children, our friends, our family, our church, our work. Always going and always doing. And yet, we have to stop at times to rest and to receive, to take in from the Lord in worship and prayer, to still our minds and still our bodies in physical rest. But with the schedules we keep, we don’t have much time for receiving. Receiving takes time and effort and honestly we just are not very good at it. It’s easier to give, it’s more convenient to give.
So I would like to strongly recommend something that you can receive that feels good, is good for you, and, should you give it 30 minutes to 1 hour of your time, gives you immediate feedback towards better health. That is massage therapy. Under the care of a licensed massage therapist, massage is a gift for the self. Regardless of the type of massage you request (deep tissue, swedish, sports, rehabilitation) or the particular areas that you may focus on (full body, legs, back, neck, etc) getting a massage is a way to experience a type of receiving that few other experiences offer. You lie down on a table and you put your face down in a special holder and you do not talk. You lie there and let someone minister to you, massaging the pains, tensions, and hurts away.
Massage feels good. It improves circulation. It helps to mend the pains and hurts of the areas of our bodies that we strain. I so believe in massage therapy for my personal well being that I have gone on average once every 3-4 weeks since 1999. Some consider massage therapy a privileged benefit but I consider it a necessity. It is as necessary as going to the chiropractor for my neck/back adjustments, to my family physician for general healthcare, to my counselor for my emotional pressures, and even to my oncologist for ongoing cancer treatment.
Take time to take care of yourself. Give your self and your spouse the gift of massage on a regular basis and see if it doesn’t help make life a little bit easier to maintain.
Grace and Peace,
Dr. Trey Kuhne
Dr. Trey Kuhne is a pastoral counselor and licensed marriage and family therapist with Pathways Pastoral Counseling located at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, 400 Dupre Drive, Spartanburg, SC 29307. He specializes in working with individuals, couples and families. Call (864) 542-3019 for an appointment. He may be reach via email at: pathwayspc@aol.com.
