It happened so fast. I expected my kids to ease into their teen years, to leave the nest slowly. Instead it seemed to have happen in just a couple of months. My older son got a full time job and my younger son signed up for football. They are both so busy chasing their dreams, taking on responsibilities and having fun and I feel like I've done a pretty good job so far. They seem balanced in their approach to life.
And although they're still living at home, it's feeling increasingly like a pit stop - a safe haven for renewal between adventures. And that's okay. There's something about holding the space for them - like moving from a full time mom to an Emeritis position I am still able to provide something they need and that feels good.
Raising children can be all consuming and when they hit their teen years it can feel like a bit like forced retirement. I'm still eternally grateful to a friend who pointed out to me that she had worked part time from home until her kids finished college. She said that, in her experience, her children needed her as much in their 20's as they did when they were 3 - but in a different way.
I am grateful because, not only does it help me to be a better mom but it helps me realize it's not quite time to retire.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Rain
Colorado is a dry state. Most years water is rationed and you are given guidelines.
We've had a good deal of rain this year so we haven't had to worry about watering - until the last couple weeks. I've been nagging myself - "I need to check on the watering schedule and set up the sprinkler!"
Yesterday I was chatting with a friend on the phone. She's like-spirited and inspiring - providing me with lots of great insights. But this time I wasn't present because I was looking at that damn lawn and beating up on myself about not getting to it yet.
As we spoke I looked up the watering schedule, thought about getting the sprinkler set up, wondered where I left the attachments last autumn...
I finally got to the "That's IT!" place with myself and told my friend I had to run. I got the water turned on, found the attachments and struggled with the muddy equipment. I got it all hooked up and positioned the sprinkler, turned it on and watched it hit too much of the sidewalk. Turned the water off, moved it a bit - nope, it's hitting the neighbors car. Moved it again - perfect! I grabbed my book and kept an eye on the time. After 30 minutes I moved went through the same routine - moving the sprinkler, turning the water on, then off and adjusting. Then on ... and off... every 30 minutes. I'm sure it looked like some ridiculous dance! Needless to say, it was hard too get into my book about being open to Spirit!
The sun was amazing and I got to wave to the neighbors as they were coming and going on their Sunday errands. After two hours, I washed off the equipment, turned off the water, coiled the hose up, removed the sprinkler, stored everything and came inside.
I sat down to chat with my husband and within 15 minutes a huge clap of thunder came out of nowhere as if to say "watch THIS!!!" The skies opened up and thoroughly, perfectly, watered my lawn. It stopped just as abruptly an hour later.
I laughed out loud as I grasped the meaning. When we do what we need to do to allow Spirit to flow through us, life also flows. When we fill our days with busy work, we are never still enough to tune in.
If we spend just a bit of time each morning connecting to Spirit and getting that flow started, things fall into place. It is in this way that we find, fully know and live our purpose.
We've had a good deal of rain this year so we haven't had to worry about watering - until the last couple weeks. I've been nagging myself - "I need to check on the watering schedule and set up the sprinkler!"
Yesterday I was chatting with a friend on the phone. She's like-spirited and inspiring - providing me with lots of great insights. But this time I wasn't present because I was looking at that damn lawn and beating up on myself about not getting to it yet.
As we spoke I looked up the watering schedule, thought about getting the sprinkler set up, wondered where I left the attachments last autumn...
I finally got to the "That's IT!" place with myself and told my friend I had to run. I got the water turned on, found the attachments and struggled with the muddy equipment. I got it all hooked up and positioned the sprinkler, turned it on and watched it hit too much of the sidewalk. Turned the water off, moved it a bit - nope, it's hitting the neighbors car. Moved it again - perfect! I grabbed my book and kept an eye on the time. After 30 minutes I moved went through the same routine - moving the sprinkler, turning the water on, then off and adjusting. Then on ... and off... every 30 minutes. I'm sure it looked like some ridiculous dance! Needless to say, it was hard too get into my book about being open to Spirit!
The sun was amazing and I got to wave to the neighbors as they were coming and going on their Sunday errands. After two hours, I washed off the equipment, turned off the water, coiled the hose up, removed the sprinkler, stored everything and came inside.
I sat down to chat with my husband and within 15 minutes a huge clap of thunder came out of nowhere as if to say "watch THIS!!!" The skies opened up and thoroughly, perfectly, watered my lawn. It stopped just as abruptly an hour later.
I laughed out loud as I grasped the meaning. When we do what we need to do to allow Spirit to flow through us, life also flows. When we fill our days with busy work, we are never still enough to tune in.
If we spend just a bit of time each morning connecting to Spirit and getting that flow started, things fall into place. It is in this way that we find, fully know and live our purpose.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Spirit
I, like so many others today, watched the memorial service for Michael Jackson with gratitude for his music and how it is weaved through my life and memories.
People say his music, dance moves and career were genius. I would agree, but Jackson said these things were never "his." In fact, he said he felt guilty about putting his name on "his" work because it was effortless for him. The music, he said, came through him from God.
His real brilliance was that he was so open to Spirit that all of this amazing music simply flowed through him. And Spirit moved through him in other ways too. It was said at the memorial service that when he suffered a serious burn on his scalp, he used the experience to empathize with others and build a burn unit. And he did this in many other circumstances as well - bad experiences were turned into opportunities to help others. Spirit doesn't see negatives.
Michael Jackson's music is his legacy to the world. But a less obvious legacy is this: when we allow Spirit to flow through us, not only are we lavishly fed and nurtured - magical gifts are bestowed upon us to share with the world.
I heard a sermon recently where the minister said that often times we pick and choose "Okay God, you can take this and that part of my life but this other thing is really important so I better handle it..." We all laughed but it really is true.
What would our lives look like if we opened our whole lives to Spirit? THAT would be an amazing example to our children and a lasting legacy.
People say his music, dance moves and career were genius. I would agree, but Jackson said these things were never "his." In fact, he said he felt guilty about putting his name on "his" work because it was effortless for him. The music, he said, came through him from God.
His real brilliance was that he was so open to Spirit that all of this amazing music simply flowed through him. And Spirit moved through him in other ways too. It was said at the memorial service that when he suffered a serious burn on his scalp, he used the experience to empathize with others and build a burn unit. And he did this in many other circumstances as well - bad experiences were turned into opportunities to help others. Spirit doesn't see negatives.
Michael Jackson's music is his legacy to the world. But a less obvious legacy is this: when we allow Spirit to flow through us, not only are we lavishly fed and nurtured - magical gifts are bestowed upon us to share with the world.
I heard a sermon recently where the minister said that often times we pick and choose "Okay God, you can take this and that part of my life but this other thing is really important so I better handle it..." We all laughed but it really is true.
What would our lives look like if we opened our whole lives to Spirit? THAT would be an amazing example to our children and a lasting legacy.
Monday, July 6, 2009
New Discoveries
People who know me tend to think I'm a very "up" person. I tend to be the optimist and can almost always find the silver lining.
But I'm going to be honest. Last night I got about 4 hours of sleep and I woke up pretty grouchy. Coffee didn't seem to help. Meditation usually puts me right but I couldn't seem to focus.
And then I had a webinar to learn how to use Blog Talk Radio. I felt sluggish when I started the call but enthusiasm is contagious and my publicist, Malathy Drew of Whispering Energy has that in spades. It's a gentle enthusiasm - an "I'm putting my arm around you and helping you figure this out" sort of enthusiasm - and I love it.
After an hour my day is back on track. I will need a nap later to take care of myself and get the rest I need, but for now I'm happy that I've found another solution to pull my way out of a bad mood...and I learned a new skill to boot!
So now that I've learned how to use blog talk radio, I have to plug the show - Mary Elizabeth Bradford will be interviewing me on how mindset can impact your job search. So if you know anyone looking for a job or if you're a career coach, stop by for a listen on Thursday, July 9th at 12 noon EST. You can find my show page at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ProParentCoach I'd love to see you there!
But I'm going to be honest. Last night I got about 4 hours of sleep and I woke up pretty grouchy. Coffee didn't seem to help. Meditation usually puts me right but I couldn't seem to focus.
And then I had a webinar to learn how to use Blog Talk Radio. I felt sluggish when I started the call but enthusiasm is contagious and my publicist, Malathy Drew of Whispering Energy has that in spades. It's a gentle enthusiasm - an "I'm putting my arm around you and helping you figure this out" sort of enthusiasm - and I love it.
After an hour my day is back on track. I will need a nap later to take care of myself and get the rest I need, but for now I'm happy that I've found another solution to pull my way out of a bad mood...and I learned a new skill to boot!
So now that I've learned how to use blog talk radio, I have to plug the show - Mary Elizabeth Bradford will be interviewing me on how mindset can impact your job search. So if you know anyone looking for a job or if you're a career coach, stop by for a listen on Thursday, July 9th at 12 noon EST. You can find my show page at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ProParentCoach I'd love to see you there!
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