from our publisher & editor
“Every tree and plant in the meadow
seemed to be dancing,
those which average eyes would see
as fixed and still.”
Doesn’t it feel like Rumi was writing about
seeing the world through the eyes of a child?
A world of magic and possibility, filled with
vibrancy and wonder.
Spending time with your little one probably
helps you recall that feeling from your
childhood…
Spontaneous giggles of delight at a game of
peek-a-boo.
Marveling at a butterfly that stays on a flower
longer than you expect.
An unwavering attachment to every detail of a
favorite bedtime story.
It’s funny how such little things can bring
pure joy, and they’re only available to us in
the present moment. How much of it are we
missing when we stare at our phones or the TV
screen?
In Parenting with Spirit, Jane Bartlett says,
“Parenthood infuses our life with love, the
very essence of our spiritual source. It gives
us new perceptions of the world: if we crouch
alongside our children and look with their
eyes, what we see will be wondrous, fun, alive
in the moment, and full of possibility.”
As our boys have gotten older, that sense of
wonder has evolved into curiosity and figuring
out how life works. But the enthusiasm,
imagination, and general trying-things-onfor-size are certainly still there. I just have
to remind myself to slow down and look for
them.
This year marks our first experience with
homeschooling full time. While things can
get a little crazy with my workload and their
lessons, I often sit and marvel at how creative
and inquisitive they are. My youngest makes
up his own science experiments, and my
oldest weaves a fascinating story even if he’s
answering a math question.
Their enthusiasm brings back my own love
of learning. They inspire me to do everything
with excellence – well, everything that interests
me anyway.
And to be perfectly honest, when I see myself
through their eyes, all I could want is to live up
to the mother and the person they think I am.
-Amity
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