Tuesday 27 September 2011

From my bedside table ....


 This is the book that changed my life.  Quite a statement, yet it's true.  This is the book that I want to tell everyone about.  I have to refrain from grabbing people and insisting that they read it.  So inspiring, life-enhancing and 'true' is its message.  Some won't like it, some won't get it, that's fine, one certainly has to be open to its message.  I could quote so much from the book, so many ideas that I love, here's just one,

 "How do you bring 'Being' into the life of a busy family, into the relationship with your child?  The key is to give your child attention....alert, still, completely present, not wanting anything other than that moment as it is."  (Eckhart Tolle)

How beautiful.  How true.  When I practice doing this I can see in my daughters' faces that they and I know that this is real, this is the essence of life.  I don't practice it every day, a day like yesterday was just so busy and so tiring.  Though when I do practice it like I did one day recently it stays with me afterwards.  One day last week I picked  my youngest up from nursery, she is having a difficult time adjusting to the new place and new people.  I sensed that she just needed some Mummy time, I put aside in my mind the pile of ironing that needed to be done, the phone calls I had to make, the endless list of things I just 'had' to do.  I asked her what she wanted to do and she replied, "Play babies"  as she often does.  We went to her room, we played babies, we fed them and changed their nappies and put them down for a nap.  We discovered some CDs we hadn't listened to in a while, we listened, we flicked through books.  It was such a special time.  It was quiet and peaceful and I was connected to my daughter.  It was a very conscious decision to give this time and this presence to my daughter when she really needed it.  It nurtured us both.
 


  If you were my friend at my house for coffee, we would sit and chat about our children, our work, our husbands.  When you ask me if I've read anything good lately I would reach for this book and press it in to your hands and simply say, "read this".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_New_Earth

3 comments:

  1. hi Michala,

    this was such a beautiful and poignant post. you truly have the gift to write yourself, i am touched by your candid share, thank you! when we are given the blessing of a touch stone, like Eckhart, it really does have a tethering type of stability. it's lovely to hear how this has affected you and then moved through you to your daughters. bless you. ♥

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  2. it's been a while (such a long while!) since you told me that i "had to read this book", and you know, you haven't let me down once so maybe i will pick it up, and let you know. sweet blog Michala
    chat to you soon
    sarah k

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  3. Thanks Sarah, did I used to urge you to read certain books too?! so bossy of me! You should give it a try though, it's amazing, Mic x

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