“Love is the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth”
M. Scott Peck MD
This is my favorite Definition of Love because it gets to the heart of what love is and is not. It defines love on many levels: Romantic love, Agape love, Friendship love, etc. It also fits well with the work of being a Parent. It goes well with this Heart that my daughter made when she was in Pre-School. It has long since lost meaning for her but I have kept it all these years as a reminder of why I do this work as a Parent…the Love of my daughter, woven into the tapestry of a family! Valentine’s Day is a wonderful holiday and a day that we celebrate to express our love to those we hold dear! In truth, as a parent, everyday is Valentine’s Day!! Being a parent is the most selfless, important, hardest, best, joyous, most satisfying, rewarding, heart-wrenching job I have ever had. It is a challenge at times especially now that my daughter is a teenager.
What keeps me grounded is something that I learned from Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn when I took a retreat with them on Mindful Parenting!!! They said that being a parent is like being on an 18 year retreat….our kids become our best Spiritual Teachers!! When we practice being in the present moment, we come to a place where we accept ourselves for who we really are, we love ourselves in this moment and we become our best and most compassionate selves. In this present moment, we are then able to see the wholeness and best in our children. We can see them through a lens that captures who they really are, rather than what we want them to be, and allows us to nurture and cultivate the best of who they are growing and developing to be. Being a Mindful Parent is a daily practice of Love in Action!! If you have not read it already, I highly recommend this book, “Everyday blessings: The inner work of mindful parenting” by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn! It has been my compass as a Parent on many occasions!