Musings on motherhood, ministry and the Eucharist.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

The Practice of Parenting

I just found this piece I wrote two summers ago.  It reminded me about what is most essential right now.  Hint:  It's not touching my toes, though I did do some stretching today and I'm getting closer.    


This summer I’ve been reading a lot about practices—the practice of writing, the practice of yoga, the practice of running.  Because I want to someday write a book and be able to touch my toes without bending my knees and to be able to run Leg #2 of the Klondike Road Relay (5.6 miles almost completely uphill) this September without dying.  I like this concept of practice.  All of the books I’ve read—and I’ve probably spent more time reading than actually practicing—say the same thing:  
  • “Don’t worry about perfection.”
  • “You can’t be perfect the first time.”
  • “Have fun with it.”
  • “Remember—all you need to do is show-up.  Be present.  Try.” 


This past week and a half I’ve been in a little resort town outside of Austin, Texas called Canyon Lake—completing a journey I began three years ago to become a fully formed catechist of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  And now, coming home on an airplane, I do realize how silly that sentence sounds.  Three hundred hours of training, over a hundred album pages, and three years being with children in the Atrium does not a fully formed catechist make.  Because in this life we are never complete.  The journey continues.  This work of living—running, writing, trying to touch my toes—is never over.  So we never have reason to be bored.  That’s the Good News, right?

On my trip I only ran twice (don’t tell my Klondike team) at a slow crawl for 20 minutes each time before collapsing in a sweat puddle courtesy of the 7am Texas heat.  I practiced yoga once on the laminate flooring of my cottage before I realized my hamstrings might be stretching in the low-lunge position but my knee pressed into the plastic wood wasn’t thanking me.  And writing didn’t happen much either.  Most days I came home too exhausted from lectures and presentations and relentless note-taking to even think about picking up a pen or opening my laptop. 

Coming home now I’m excited to implement the writing and running and downward-facing dogging into an ideal routine.  But mostly I’m looking forward to the long days of summer I’ve been gifted to spend with the four smiling faces waiting for me outside of security.

When I think of practice I also think of parenting.  You don’t have to be perfect—you just have to be present.  You don’t need to have all the answers—but welcome the questions.  Forget about how educational the activities you have in your mind are and get caught up in the Superman book you’re reading to your five year-old for the 50th time.  Leave the dishes in the sink to watch your kids bounce on a trampoline.  Sit and listen to an impromptu piano concert without worrying about the laundry or the bills. 

I want to continue this practice of life with the freedom of one who trusts the Creator of all good gifts.  After all, when we give a gift isn’t the first response we’re looking for joy?  Sure, a “thank you,” is nice—but shining eyes and a big grin are completely acceptable.

I want my eyes to shine as I embrace the practice of parenting. 

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