1Meditations for Families is the second title in the Pause & Reflect series, which presents meditative passages from the sacred and authoritative texts arranged around particular themes. While the Bahá'í Faith places a great deal of importance on meditation and the cultivation of spirituality, it is also a religion that calls for action and societal transformation. Meditation is not exclusively a means for personal growth, but a tool that should equip us with insights and awareness that can be translated into action in our lives and in the communities in which we live. Perhaps there is no more significant bridge between our individual lives and the life of our communities than the theme of this book: families. Families, after all, are building blocks of civilization. In the words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, "A family is a nation in miniature...The conditions surrounding the family surround the nation." The passages collected here touch on such subjects as the unique bond between wife and husband, the raising of children and the sacred obligation to educate them, and the vitality of the family as a whole. Above all, these writings orient us toward love and unity, equality and cooperation.