Under Our Feet

Amid the everyday dramas of a walk to the bus stop, a drive to the grocery store, a trip to the zoo, how do we slow down and pay attention to the small miracles around us? We think of mindfulness as something we get to do when we escape from our kids-sitting alone in an immaculate yoga studio or on a quiet retreat in some pristine location. But children don't have to be a barrier to contemplation. They can inspire a special kind of awe in the natural world and in the mundane details of life-but only if we stop and notice. Yes, during bath time, and while we weed the garden, our kids-especially, sometimes, our most challenging kids-can show us deep truths. And when the larger world seems to be falling apart, we must realize that our daily struggles aren't separate from those events. How are we connected-to the world, to each other, and to those parts of ourselves that we've put on hold or hidden away? How can we walk alongside our children, at their pace, and let them teach us to see the world in new ways? "I wrote these poems during the year of my son's autism diagnosis. I found that I was more able to cope with each impossible day if I could find a few beautiful moments to focus on. I would take photos, while out with my children, and then after they were finally in bed I'd go back and look through those photos and write-digging in to the meaning of those brief blessings. Even though I was exhausted and overwhelmed, I'd spend some time dwelling in that place of beauty and abundance that they'd shown me. Over time, I realized I was training myself to notice those moments. My hope is that by reading these poems, readers will be encouraged to do the same."