I’ve been drawn to meditation since I was a child… 

Not as a practice as we think of it…

As I was growing up, my parents worked very hard to make sure we had all that we needed – and also wanted – as most parents do… a comfortable home, food on the table, and clothes on our backs.

Then there were the gifts and things that we wanted and asked for and also received… dolls, toys, designer jeans, and all the material things that children long for as they’re growing up.

The Greatest Gift from My Mother:

These were all good and well, but the most profound gift that I received from my mother growing up was not something I asked for but something she gave to me from a pure and passionate heart…

The gift of showing me how to see the beauty in nature and in all living things…to be present.

I don’t think a day would go by – no matter how busy our lives would get – that my mother wouldn’t point out something very simple, yet extraordinary, in nature and in our surroundings; or even just through her own random acts of kindness to plants and animals.

She showed me that I should always stop… listen; see and feel the amazing connection that we all have to this extraordinary planet and everything and body in it.

By giving me this gift, my Mother led me to the “Kingdom of Heaven,” for the Kingdom of Heaven is not out there somewhere after we die, it’s in the butterfly that has reached its full potential, sucking the nectar out of a tall, brilliantly colored Zinnia.

And although that butterfly only has a week or two to live here in this realm/Kingdom, it knows its journey is not over. It flutters on by, happily, because it knows its Source and has no fear.

The Kingdom is truly within us when we can look and see the brilliance of the tall, ancient oak tree hovering over the many other beautiful trees surrounding it…

Listening to the happy chatter of the birds making their nests within it…

And gazing at the horse and her foal, taking comfort in its shade, realizing what a magnificent gift that tree truly is.

BE A PASSERBY:

Jesus told us to be passersby. I love that word…

I believe he was talking about presence… being a passerby. 

When you’re on a trip, you take in all the sights.

Why? 

Because you’re passersby, and you want to take everything in, in that present moment.

What if we lived every day like that?  What if we stopped to look at something beautiful on the way to work? Or do we just let our minds pull us away to the past or future and forget to live today?

Our children today should be guided to this every single day, especially in today’s world where they’re inundated with phones, computer games, Xboxes, WIIs, cartoons, television, streaming, TikTok…

All these things aren’t a bad thing, per se; it‘s part of the technological global evolution we’re in and further headed.

But to know and truly find the Kingdom, we can’t forget, every single day, to point out the sound of the birds singing to us at the breakfast table, the beauty and intricate details of a passionflower, the brilliance of a sunset, the smell of a rose, and the smile of an innocent baby that fills your heart with joy.

This is the way to lead our children to their Source and to the Kingdom. To show them how to be present.

If our children can receive this gift, as they grow older and troubles abound, they can rest in the knowledge that “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” In other words, it’s right here.  We just have to stop and look. 

All they have to do is sit under the wise, old oak tree or take refuge below a magnificent waterfall and just listen and hear their Source. That’s where Peace, Wisdom, and Power manifest – Listening to our Source, The Universe, or God – whatever term you feel more comfortable with.

For me, I prefer Source, because when I’m with that Source, I become the sorcerer of my own life.

I believe most of us can truly see the beauty in nature. But we have to make the decision to stop. Why let society completely run our lives?

Take a few moments to be present, or heck, even an hour for yourself each day:

To smell a flower…

To follow a butterfly down a path…

To watch a sunrise or sunset…

To stop at the side of the road to give a horse a carrot or a pat…

To nurture and watch a planted seed grow…

To gaze at the beauty of the unique green in the cypress trees after a long winter…

And most important of all… to do this with our children.

If not, how can we lead our children to the Kingdom of Heaven – or what I simply call peace – that’s within us and around us? First, we must take the plank out of our own eyes before we can take the speck from our children’s eyes.

So make sure you share this with your children as often as you can, not just on a vacation or weekend or a special time put aside…

But at breakfast, teach them to listen to the birds, even for a moment… 

On the way to school, point out the amazing bell flowers blooming… 

And before bed, take a peek at the moon together and gaze at the stars.

It doesn’t matter whether they’re 5 years old or 50 years old, a grandchild or great grandchild, help them stay with their Source and in the Kingdom in any way you can, but don’t preach, just guide them.

You can even do this on the phone, where you mention a beautiful sight in nature that you witnessed. Just show them the way through your own deeds and actions and insights, and their Source will never leave.

So I want to thank my mother from the bottom of my heart for giving me eyes to see and ears to hear.

I liken my mother to Jesus. She showed me the way to Source, which has helped to keep me in each present moment of every single day, and I hope to pass that gift to my children as well.

And thanks for the Jordache jeans back in the ‘80s, Mom; they were nice too.