Loving the Ordinary

There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one." - Jill Churchill

As many mothers know, caring for a newborn is one of the greatest joys in the world.  Nothing else can compare to the amount of love and connection that I feel to this little guy.  It's also tiring and hard work, and finding time for anything other than taking care of the immediate needs is darn near impossible.

The lack of sleep and the amount of details that come with taking care of two children has pretty much made my short-term memory nonexistent.  Today, as I once again lost my train of thought mid-sentence, I caught myself saying out loud, "I feel like my brain is split in so many directions."  Kestan chimed in, "What's wrong with your brain mommy?"

Well, child, nothing is wrong with my brain.  In fact, maybe forgetting everything but the essentials is exactly what I need to be doing right now.  Because when I forget and let go of all those meddling thoughts running through my mind, all I have to fall back on is the present moment, right?

So, this moment has given me a quiet house (which won't last long) and a little time to share with you a new parenting resource that stepped into my life.

I discovered this beautiful, thought-provoking, compassionate blog called Essential Parenting.  I love it.  In the most recent posting, Chris White quotes author William Martin, "Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives.  Such striving may seem admirable, but it is a way of foolishness.  Help them instead to find wonder and marvel of an ordinary life.  Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears.  Show them how to cry when pets and people die.  Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand.  And make the ordinary come alive for them.  The extraordinary will take care of itself." -The Parent's Tao Te Ching

Isn't that just lovely?  And isn't that a great reminder for all of us - regardless if we have children or not?  Can you imagine the amount of compassion we could show ourselves if we didn't always strive to be extraordinary?  Can you imagine slowing down enough to really SEE and FEEL the beauty in all the ordinary things in YOU and in your life?  Can you imagine if you truly believed YOU were enough - exactly how and where you are in this moment?  What a beautiful concept if we all could slow down, and simply see the blessings in the ordinary, every day moments.

As I embrace this wonderful journey of motherhood that I'm traveling on, I'm choosing to celebrate the little moments.  Like the way Ashton gazes into my eyes, and how much I love the sound of Kestan's sweet voice, and what a gift it is to stay in bed a good part of the morning with all of my boys as we snuggle, laugh and love each other.

It's these moments - the ordinary ones - that I'm learning is what living is all about.

Your Personal Reflection:  Every day, ordinary life is full of simple gifts - right here, right NOW - in this moment.  Can you practice embracing these little treasures in your day, in yourself, and in your children, and feel the awareness, the beauty, and the wisdom that comes from loving the ordinary?