Mitten Strings and Prayers

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I have been enjoying the gentle spirit of "Mitten Strings for God" which I discovered through a link at lovely Amy's Blog "To Love"

Here is a noteworthy quote ...

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 "Not a day goes by that I don't still need to remind myself that my life is not just what's handed to me, nor is it my list of obligations, my accomplishments or failures, or what my family is up to, but rather it is what I choose, day in and day out, to make of it all. When I am able simply to be with things as they are, able to accept the day's challenges without judging, reaching, or wishing for something else, I feel as if I am receiving the privilege, coming a step closer to being myself. It's when I get lost in the day's details, or so caught up in worries about what might be, that I miss the beauty of what is.” 

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And another...

" “When we focus on what is good and beautiful in someone, whether or not we think that they "deserve" it, the good and beautiful are strengthened merely by the light of our attention.” 

The children have been captivated by Granada's Prayers of the Earth ever since we borrowed it from the library some months ago.

 It is a book about death and coming to terms with death, a concept that seems to awaken consciously in children around the age of seven or so.

But somehow the book is also about life, and how to sense it and live it fully and abundantly by simply slowing down to listen.

Yesterday was a sad day, Boo's butterfly "sequin" renamed "Sequin the Brave and Determined" since it was born with an injured wing, passed over to the other side.

Boo had raised Sequin from a caterpillar and fed her on orange slices and banana from her own hand. She told me that when she looked at Sequin, Sequin, looked at her and followed her gaze.

She loved Sequin very, very much.

She spent so much time caring for her and having conversations with her over the last couple of days.
She was inconsolable.

My sensitive, beautiful, soulful Boo.

And we all covered her with love and comfort.

we didn't try to distract her or cover it up with a movie or and ice cream, we just let the tears fall as they had to do.

I told her that Sequin new how much Boo loved her and although she couldn't communicate it with words in this world, if Boo listened closely she would hear her speaking to her heart and telling her "Thank you" for all the tender care she had given her from where she is now; A place beyond words and limitations.

I told her that many people, look at that which is broken or different, or vulnerable as useless, or worse, something that should be ignored.

But she saw value in Sequin, she saw beauty and strength and bravery, and love.

She saw something priceless and eternal in her.

I also told her how, some beings live only briefly in this world.

Their light is bright and illuminates our lives so brightly we will forever see with greater clarity and love with deeper love because of them.

They are our sacred teachers and and guardians and they will always be close to us.

She asked me if Eliyana  (a baby we lost through miscarriage) would now have a butterfly to play with in Heaven, I told her yes.

And smiled myself at how our now 3 year old little girl would have her own butterfly.

A small messenger on flight between worlds.

We read "Grandad's Prayers of the Earth."

And for the rest of the evening Boo was buried in it's words and images.

Boo came running in from the garden this morning, her voice clear as a blue sky and a smile upon her face,
"I can hear Sequin!" She said matter of factly as children are prone to be with all things profound and extraordinary "She is with me still."