If we could have but one generation of properly born...

On my return to Kharkov/Ukraine on the 29th of July I immediately settled back into my writing retreat and continued working on the draft of my second book in a very disciplined and regulated way. I enjoyed my seclusion and absorption, marveling how Srila Prabhupada performed this herculean task of producing so many volumes of books while traveling and preaching!
And I had to start putting ideas together for the design of the book cover. To produce the second book seemed easier than the first one...

Having distributed all 2.000 copies of the first book, I now had to get it reprinted so I would have books for the Ukrainian Bhakti Sangam Festival in September, and also for my upcoming visit in London. Thus my mind was absorbed in producing books.​

In the evenings during ten days I offered the course "Our Children Are Our Future" to our Kharkov community. It was well attended by around sixty eager devotees. I felt especially encouraged to see a number of young unmarried men in the audience - sometimes we tend to think that the topic of children only concerns the ladies! So it was encouraging to see that our devotees start to realize the importance of solid training and education how to practically apply of our philosophy in daily life.

Furthermore, the atmosphere in the home should be prepared before conceiving a child: everything should be stable and harmonious - financially and emotionally. The relationship between husband and wife should be secure and harmonious to minimize any kind of tension and anxieties. Ideally, there should be a strong culture of sadhana in the home - then the child will receive the most favorable conditions for their spiritual growth and development. Already during pregnancy the child receives so many impressions through the mother's consciousness. Therefore, a pregnant mother should be in a peaceful state of mind, and joyfully Krishna conscious. Every emotion and thought will already influence the child in her womb.

​I came across a wonderful quote by Herbert Hoover who served as the president of the United States from 1929 to 1933:

"If we could have but one generation of properly born, trained, educated and healthy children, a thousand other problems of government would vanish. We would assure ourselves of healthier minds and vigorous bodies, to direct the energies of our nation to greater hights of achievement."

What a wonderful sutra for our ISKCON society.....!

We concluded the ten-day course with two very practical implementations in order to move our children into the center of our community:
1) We decided to introduce a Children's Day - when the whole community is invited to go on an outing and spend time connecting and playing with our children.
2) We decided to dedicate the first 20 minutes of the Saturday morning's Bhagavatam class to the children. They sit in front of the speaker, who will address and involve the children in an interactive way, so that it is interesting for them. At the end the speaker distributes sweets to the children, and then the usual class for the general audience continues.

And I was eagerly awaiting our first Children's Day....

Your servant, Devaki dd