Life Guides

I am not a Christian, but I do like the idea of “God Parents”.  For that reason, I felt that I needed to find an alternative that suited us.  I thought long and hard about this and came up with “Life Guides” as appropriate for our situation.  I wrote a poem and sent it to the requested life guides.  Here is that poem:

Life Guide:

 

Please will you be my life guide,

a person to whom I can turn,

a person who helps me to grow,

to experience, to question, to learn.

 

Please will you be there for me,

for all that will lie ahead,

and if my parents can’t be there,

will you please stand by me instead?

 

Can you share your experience and knowledge,

to guide me on my own path,

and if none of the above seems necessary,

let’s share in our joy, dance and laugh!

 

Loving Kindness

What can we do when faced with violence and hatred in the world?
Teach our children to be tolerant, loving and kind.

Little Reminders

 Dear Girls,
Here are some of the things which daily remind me of your presence: Yoghurt hand prints on the doors, a bath full of ducks and boats, “art work” on the wall paper, ‘mam’ written by grubby fingers on the mirrors, a fluffy tiger in mine and daddy’s bed, knickers behind the settee (not mine!), shoes in every corner of the house, drawings, drawings and more drawings stuck up in every available space, sparkles in the laundry, hair bands under the beds, banana skins and raisin boxes hidden in secret locations……
I know that one day I will miss all these things, when you are grown up and sensible and know where to put your knickers and banana skins. For now, I will continue to wade through the madness.
Love, Mummy x (From Watching Butterflies Dance)

Sleep

                                                   Sleeping gently side by side
                                                   I wonder if our dreams collide

A walking meditation

I went for a walk with my two year old.  A very slow walk, no rush, no hurry, all at her pace.  We stopped to watch a bee as it zipped past our noses.  We watched butterflies dancing around the flowers.  We stamped our feet and splashed in muddy puddles.  We picked up sticks and poked them in the mud.  I marvelled at how she explored her new world, the world that has only been hers for just over one and a half years and which she has only begun exploring freely in the last few months.  I had to force myself to slow down, to go at her pace.  The washing can wait, we can tidy up later.  Right now we’re seeing the world through new eyes.

Our walk reminded me of walking meditation.  An art I should practise more often, I believe.  It is about walking with awareness, walking without destination.  The purpose is to be present in the moment;

Thich Nhat Hahn (A wonderful Buddhist Monk and Teacher) wrote:

            “The mind can go in a

            Thousand directions

            But on this beautiful path,

            I walk in peace

            With each step

            A cool wind blows

            A flower blooming.”

Thank you for reminding me to be present in the moment, my little teacher:

A Poem for Maya

A poem I wrote for my daughter who arrived 10 weeks prematurely:

A Poem for Maya

 

My precious little bundle,

you gave us such a fright,

arriving ten weeks early,

so vulnerable and light,

attached to all those monitors,

you really were a sight,

we're proud of you already,

for putting up a fight.

 

I want to hold you close to me,

to never let you go,

I want to whisper in your ear,

mummy and daddy love you so,

we think you're very special,

and we're keen for you to know,

we're praying you get better,

we're willing you to grow.

 

I dream of better times ahead,

I imagine we'll be free,

to explore the world around us,

there's so much for us to see,

we live near ancient woodland,

there's mountains and fields and sea,

let's picnic in the sunshine,

just you and daddy and me.

 

A day in the life of my two year old:

Wake entire household up at 5 am. Eat two massive croissants. Refuse to wear clothes. Poo on potty (hurray!!!). Agree to wear clothes. Have meltdown at swimming pool and refuse to wear clothes home. Refuse to eat lunch. Sleep for 2 hours. Eat lunch at 3 pm. Fall over and scrape knee. 5 minutes later fall over and scrape other knee. Demand to wear a dress. Smile for 5 minutes, during which Mummy takes a picture. Refuse to eat dinner. Demand to go to bed. Rest of household breathes a sigh of relief.