Mary Sunbeam, Cherokee Nation. Mary leads a blessing of children that is an ancestral ritual that honors the child's life and path of destiny which issupported by elders, family and community. The blessing also awakens inall adults the responsibility and commitment to be a model, as a childis always watching and seeking guidance. The blessing calls on theCreator to protect each child until the child can protect her/himself.The ritual honors those children who have made their transition andtheir spirit is at peace. The honoring of children for those in ourfamily and the children of the world unites all cultures in the teaching of respect, understanding, compassion and tolerance in the prayer that each child in their growing leadership role can make a difference in world peace.