Quotable Sunday

"The breath is the current connecting body and mind, connecting us with our parents and our children, connecting our body with the outer world's body. It is the current of life. There are nothing but golden fish in this stream. All we need to see them clearly is the lens of awareness."

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are

Meditation and The Art and Science of Doing Nothing

I have been doing a lot of thinking about how to do (or not do) this lately. With a little professional help and some good reading, I am starting to get the hang of it.

I am notoriously bad at being in the moment--I hold grudges, I dwell in my emotion, I hang on and on and on. Additionally, I feel as if I always have to be going. I rarely notice my surroundings and am often stunned at Brian's noticings of what is around us/ has happened to us. Having kids has slowed me down a bit but it is something I still need to work on. Adding a third child has helped!

So I have spent some time lately looking around. Breathing a little more slowly. Noticing my tension and letting it go. There are some things that help me with this--my kids (what an example they are!), the outdoors, exercise

Reading Again

Ahhhh, to be reading again. Don't ask me why I have chosen to pick up reading again just after having my third baby because this hardly seems like the time, but maybe it is just the perfect time after all.

I have some good fiction books on the shelf--I have been waiting for what seems like forever for this one, and I started and really liked this one last spring, and a good friend has recommended this one. The latest books that I have read, however, have been nonfiction and the ones that are queued up next are all nonfiction as well.

Currently, I am in the middle of Children at Play. I picked this up at Powell's last year, started it and then put it down for a variety of reasons not related to the book, now it is on my bedside table again. One reviewer of the book stated that the chapter on dolls alone made the book worth the purchase. I have to say that I completely agree. Much of the material in the book was not new for me, but the suggestions the author makes about dolls being an embodiment of the child (how, for instance, dolls should be put to bed, rather than in a basket or toy box out of respect for what they represent) were thought-provoking.

Before this book, I read Seven Times the Sun. I loved the practicality of this book- the examples of daily "rhythms" at the end were particularly useful for me. Although the literal application of much of the material to our own family life would simply not work for us, we could mold them to make them our own.

I also read Beyond the Rainbow Bridge. For me, this book was the easiest to digest. Her writing style is casual and the FAQ section at the end of each chapter answered many of my own questions.

All in all, I am having a ball of a time working my way through my Amazon purchases from last year. More on this in a few weeks...

An Acorn and One of Those Days

In a sea of sunshine, today there was a spot of rain. I have been feeling so good--so very very good--these past few weeks. I was excited by my life--thrilled to do my daily chores, loving tidying up my house, enjoying my kids even at their most difficult, looking forward to what is coming up and letting go of what has gone before. Reveling in life and honestly living in the moment. And then there was today. A long and cold (literally- winter seems to have come to the Northeast) reminder of what a mind can do when you run away with it. I tried to rein it in today, and then I tried to watch it run, and then I just gave up.

Finally, I went out for a run--got outside in the briskness, let my head breathe-- and I found an acorn, a most beautiful and perfect acorn on my walk home. The cap was still on--and he seemed, this acorn fella, so warm and and perfect and content. And he made me feel better.

Life isn't always easy but it sure is good.

Our Fall Nature Table

While her brothers were sleeping, Norah and I set up our Autumnal Nature Table this afternoon. Along with some "pretty natural things," like acorns and pine cones, we gathered the beautiful items that we got from Kelly, a couple candles (a beeswax one that we bought at the farmer's market this year and one that Norah decorated last year), a framed picture of a tree in autumn, and our growing collection of seasonal books. Our table is rather sparse--it needs a pumpkin and perhaps some brightly colored leaves to finish it off but in the meantime, it is still giving us a lot of pleasure

Nature Table Exchange

This year Kyrie started the Seasons Round Exchange for the exchange of fall nature table gifts. Exchanges always make me nervous--I have only ever actually participated in one--because I fear that I will be completely incapable of fulfilling my part of the bargain. Considering that we have a newborn and two other children under four, I was probably a bit brazen for signing up for this one, but, alas, I am so glad that I did. My partner was Kelly.

I knew that Kelly needed a knit squirrel for her table--I mean, who doesn't need a knit squirrel?! I used a pattern from Knitted Animals and some scrap yarn for this little guy. He didn't take long and was a whole lot of fun to make. He came with his own "tree" which can double as a play block, made from a branch that Brian cut into pieces for the kids. Along with some other small items, I included a book and some knitted leaves in autumn colors. The whole package was so much fun to make and give. I can't wait for next season's exchange. More tomorrow on the beautiful items we received and what we have made of our own nature table.

Quotable Sunday

When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

The Beatles