Musings on Dreaming Babies

In the space of a minute or so his cute, round face morphs from serene, to gentle smiles and silent giggles. Smiles break into a few seconds of what appears like non-vocalized open-mouthed laughter that suggests he’s experiencing sheer delight. He slept on during the brief entertaining show he gave us. His is the pure, innocent joy of a newborn baby, only hours old.

As ol’ guys are inclined to do, Andy – Hudson’s great-grandpa – and I discussed what induced this precious little guy’s display of delight. I commented that my mother used to say that a baby, when smiling during sleep, is often reacting to pleasant sensations caused by “wind” in the tummy, or “gas,” as we say in Canada. Andy thought of that too. Of course, we know that tummy-ache often awakens a baby, whose pained bawling can soon waken a whole household!
 

I venture to suggest that a sleeping, smiling baby, in his (or her) early hours and days of life outside of the womb, might sometimes be having pleasant dreams. But what on earth do newborn babies dream about and what sort of images do they see in them?

Credit: www.dreamstime.com

Moms, midwives and neo-natal medics, psychologists and neuroscientists might well have their ideas about that. However, I’ll chip in some uninformed layman suggestions of things that they likely do not dream about.

They don’t dream of growing up to lie and cheat and steal, or of committing adultery, or violating women or children. I don’t suppose they’d dream of enjoying future celebrity and great wealth, or of wasting away on skid row, helplessly hooked on drugs or alcohol.

Surely they’d never dream of a day when they’ll brandish guns and kill people or blow them to smithereens – possibly themselves included. On the other hand, I don’t suppose they dream about bringing help and healing to the broken, of protecting others and doing all manner of beautiful deeds, out of loving care for them.

Perhaps their dreams don’t take a visual form that’s distinguishable to them at all, but rather represent a 'state of being,' in response to sensations of comfort or discomfort.  

Some babies grow up to take pleasure in evil, adopting pernicious ideas and developing attitudes that lead to destructive actions (newborn Adolph Hitler was probably a cute and inoffensive little guy, too).

Some grow up to value wholesome, helpful ways and demonstrate positive attitudes that lead to noble, life-enriching actions for them and the people around them (Mother Teresa of Calcutta was once a newborn). Of course, numerous familial, cultural and religious influences and circumstances play into what a child becomes.

Baby Hudson is precious and loved and well-provided for. But, is not the infant sucking the empty breast of a mother in a disease-ravaged, famine-stricken land precious, too? Of course he or she is precious.

Many older generation North Americans will remember the lines of the children’s song, Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world . . . All are precious in His sight ... —precious, regardless of colour, ethnicity, culture or religion.  The ‘accident’ of birth likely placed most of us and our children and grandchildren in kinder environments than most people on the planet experience.

The year is still quite young, yet so soon its innocence fades, as global news reports reach us daily about tragic consequences of human error and hateful, senseless evil actions. Amidst the bad, good is worked out through the lives of those who dream good dreams and fulfil visions of humble greatness in serving others with love and care.

What smile-inducing, gaze-raising dreams represent our prayers for this year and the babies and young people in our lives?

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The above post was adapted from Peter's weekly column, P-Pep! published in The Guide-Advocate, January 15, 2015.

 

Peter's second book is a compilation of inspirational articles from his weekly column—on a variety of themes. These are interspersed with brief expressions intended to encourage.  Ebook edition is now available on Amazon.

 

ISBN: 978-0-9920074-2-3 (Angel Hope Publishing)

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What is a Mission Statement?

A recent post on a Christian women-in-business facebook page asked members to share their mission statement. I’ve considered this before in various organizations and also thought about what I want to achieve in my business, but I have never written a formal mission statement for myself. 

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary has not one but six possible meanings for the word mission. It could be “a particular task or goal assigned to a person or group, a journey with purpose,” or even a person’s work or vocation. Other meanings included “military or scientific expedition for a particular outcome,” such as any of the relief operations that help people in need. Such a declaration might also be called a statement of belief.

Mission statements are often posted on an organization’s website, and a church’s mission statement will be different than that of a corporate company that provides services or works for public good. 

While a mission is still an activity sponsored by a church in a Third World country or closer to home, it’s often an act to alleviate some challenge in the life of people  in that community, such as feeding the hungry or a social justice movement.

The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, for example, calls its statement an ethical code. It reads: “Food Banks Canada, its members … believe that everyone in Canada has the right to physical and economic access, at all times, to sufficient, safe, nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences.” This statement, along with the organization's action plan, helps the Food Bank focus on the purpose and help those who come for assistance.

The Word Guild—the Canadian association that hosts this blog—has a vision and a mission statement. Their vision: To positively influence individuals—and ultimately the Canadian culture—through life-changing words that bring God`s message of hope.  

To accomplish this vision, their mission statement is to strengthen the "Canadian Christian writing and publishing community" and to encourage "excellence in writing" so that it might impact "Canadian culture through the words of writers, editors and speakers with a Christian worldview." To that end, the organization offers learning opportunities so that writers have the tools to make that happen.

I could list other organizational missions, but I`d like to focus on individual missions. Mother Teresa, in her lifetime, began a mission to be attentive to the poor and dying in Calcutta, India, but she couldn't do it alone. She gathered others from her order to help make it happen, and she did it quite successfully, inspiring people around the world with her example.

Going back to the women in business forum, I can now answer the question with greater clarity. The statement could be short and concise, as befits an editor, or a slightly longer one. It's about my underlying beliefs and how I go about my work as an editor, instructor, writer and speaker.  

Somewhat similar to the beam of a lighthouse that helps sailors past treacherous shoals, such a statement guides  me as I work with others and helps me stay focused. Thus part of my guiding principles would be to help the writer be the best that he or she can be.

What is your mission statement?

Carolyn Wilker, editor, writing instructor and speaker

Author of Once Upon a Sandbox

www.carolynwilker.ca