How to Mother from your Higher Self
"Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it." - Buddha.
Well, if you are still not sure what 'your work' is, then let me give you a clue - at this moment in time, your work, or part of it, is being a mother!
It is tempting to spend our days with our children but mentally to be at the yoga class or writing our best-selling children's book, or setting up the inspirational website. The time to do that will come, believe me!
What you are being asked to do with all your heart is to be with your child, to be listening, attending, enjoying, creating memories, laughing, looking for those teachable moments, an opportunity to uplift, to point out a difficulty overcome, to notice a kindness given to a sibling or friend.
"Work is love made visible" - Kahlil Gibran.
As you go about the work of raising your children you may find it easier with a companion next to you on the sofa or by the bed. I am talking of course about books! I always had an inspiring book next to me on the arm of the sofa while I breast-fed or by the bed as I stole half-an-hour or so in the mid-afternoon to myself. I still have my favourites that I dip into nearly every day, to help keep myself excited about my work and moving forward (see my
Reading helps me get in touch with, and act from a place deeper within me, so I am making more conscious mothering choices. It is on the days when I do not get in touch and anchor myself in this way that I am more likely to allow my children's feelings and upsets to affect me.
Another amazing benefit of reading inspirational writing is when a line jumps out at you and you have an 'aha' moment - a moment of sudden clarity. This is when I will suddenly 'get it' and know without a shadow of doubt that I am doing the right thing and that I am on track.
Living with Joy
My wish is to talk to the heart of every woman and to inspire them to live with joy right now.
To live with joy means to be aware and embrace the possibilities that lie ahead for you in your life.
To live with joy means to get your house and life in order so that there is room for something larger.
To live with joy means to turn to the seasons as your guide to the cycles within you.
To live with joy means to open your eyes to the spiritual in your day-to-day living.
To live with joy means to turn those simple, potentially boring, snail-paced days spent with young kids into a string of precious moments and routines to be enjoyed and savoured.
Living with Simplicity
Each day is like a blank canvas and you are the artist. Take a good look at how you will be 'spending' the next 24 hours. Maybe try to do more 'saving'.
Let's try to make our mark, to do our thing, to make a difference. Even as we are rising our kids? ESPECIALLY as we are raising our kids. This is the greatest challenge and if we can live is this way while we have little kids around us then we are prepared for greater things when they eventually grow up and require less of our time.
It's about enjoying your home and your garden however big or small.It's about enjoying the here and now, the 'small' days of your life. Your life is not the holidays and special events. You cannot wait for the promotion or for paying off the mortgage, for completing the project.
This is your life - right here, right now - and joy is just a decision away. The majority of life is made up of the ordinary and the simple. This does not mean that it cannot be miraculous, sacred and joyful.
- Stop to notice how the sunlight touches the leaves, shines through the windows, creates shadows on the floor.
- Notice the moments of stillness when the children are all busy.
- Sit and join in with your child's activity and crayon as if you were 3 again.
- Create a ritual around a favourite drink or healthy snack at the same time every day that you can look forward to.
- Take a minute to really look at your children before you wake them in the morning.
- Stay a while at night after they have fallen asleep to watch their little faces and hear their soft breathing.
This is what life is about. Welcome to the joyful simplicities that make up your life!
As women we can create real magic in our lives, seemingly out of nothing. We all have examples of when, like the Miller's Daughter, we have taken straw and managed to spin it into gold. We can all cite events where, surprised and unprepared, we have fed five thousand (or at least it feels like it!) with only five loaves of bread and two fishes.
For we are Mothers and we all secretly know that we have magical powers and possess the ability to create miracles in our families every day.
Life really is so simple and there is such an abundance that we all have access to. The sooner we realise this then the quicker we can get on with living a joyful life. And we all know that joy is infectious, so let's start to pass it on, one child at a time...