Saturday, January 25, 2014

mindfulness 101

Anna and Taylor had a fabulous day with the Hutchinsons who loved on them today and gave us the gift of being able to attend a workshop put on by UW today on Mindful Parenting. While "mindfulness" these days is quite the buzz word and is even on the cover of the latest Time magazine, today was a simple yet profound reminder of the importance of taking time to slow down, to breathe, to notice and to be aware in the present moment.  As our Celtic prayer book says, "Be still and aware of God's presence within and all around."  This intentionality can lead to gratitude and a deeper connection to others in our lives.  I have so much to learn in all of this, but I am thankful for some baby steps today!

“Mindfulness means moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness. It’s cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention, intentionally, in the present moment, and then sustaining that attention over time. It means becoming more in touch with our life as it is unfolding.  Parenting through mindfulness has the potential to penetrate past surface appearances and behaviors and allow us to see our children as they truly are, so we can act with some degree of wisdom and compassion. The more we are able to keep in mind the intrinsic wholeness and beauty of our children – especially when it is difficult to see – the more our ability to be mindful deepens.” Jon Kabat-Zinn, in an interview with YES! Magazine

“…the challenge of being a parent is to live our moments as fully as possible, charting our own course as best we can, above all, nourishing our children, and in the process, growing ourselves.” Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn, Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting


dinner date tonight at our house with friends 

dress up (even the little brothers) 







No comments:

Post a Comment