Mindfulness: Words for a Mindful Moment with the Breath
Make your Monday mindful! Today’s passage is from Barbara Brown Taylor’s An Altar in the World, from her chapter on Reverence.
“The easiest practice of reverence I know is to simply sit down somewhere outside, preferably near a body of water, and pay attention for at least twenty minutes. It is not necessary to take on the whole world at first. Just take the three square feet of earth on which you are sitting, paying close attention to everything that lives within that small estate…. If you can see the water, you may take time to wonder where it comes from and where it is going. You may even feel the beating of your own heart, that miracle of ingenuity that does its work with no thought or instruction from you. You did not make your heart, any more than you made a tree. You are a guest here. You have been given a free pass to this modest domain and everything in it.”
Can you take ten minutes in your busy Monday to practice reverence?
Gratitude: TheĀ Smile File
{The moments of gratitude and the smiles from the week that I want to hold on to.}
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Summer vacation has arrived! And we finally had some gorgeous days here to be outside. On one of those days I reading (and tweeting) on the deck, and I laid my head back in my chair to look up from my phone. And I saw this:
My reminder to PUT DOWN THE PHONE and appreciate the beauty of summer. To practice reverence.
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I recently completed Liv Lane’s blogging e-course, and one of the lessons focused on identifying my online “tribe” of fellow writers and bloggers. Liv told us that she has made amazing friendships and met incredible people through blogging. It sounded a bit hard to believe. But I have been so excited by the online connections that I have made with fellow bloggers through Twitter, Facebook, blog link-ups, and visitors to my blog {hello to you all if you’re reading this!} I am so inspired by the many incredible blogs I have discovered, and I am eager to continue connecting with my “tribe.” Thanks to all of you {you know who you are} who are welcoming this new blogger with open arms! I am so grateful!
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Finally, we spent Father’s Day visiting with family at a campground. My children delighted in playing in the lake, and I was mesmerized watching them and how different they are ~ my daughter’s cautious, unsure steps, carefully surveying the depth of the water and where she could safely walk. Contrasted with my son’s plunge into the water, running, jumping, and splashing. I loved watching how they nurtured each other. When Liam climbed up on a raft and couldn’t figure out how to get down, he would cry, “Save me, Abby! Save me!” And big sister lovingly and gently helped him down.
They are finally at at age where I can watch them in the water, and let them explore their world on their own, knowing mom is close by watching. And staring at my feet in the sand, at the water, the gorgeous sky, my beautiful children, and hearing the sounds of delight all around me reminded me of the words of Barbara Brown Taylor at the beginning of this post. Even though it was loud and hot and chaotic at the beach, I saw the beauty in the moment and truly practiced reverence.
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What are YOU grateful for today? What made YOU smile this week?
Have a great week!
Namaste~
Sarah
- A Mindful Approach to New Year’s Resolutions - January 13, 2020
- Just This Next Step - December 16, 2019
- WAIT: A Mindfulness Practice for Waiting in Line - December 9, 2019
