Returning to Normal
With Lee just returning to work this week, and driving himself for the first time today, I’m attempting to catch back up on my life. I want to send out a huge thank you to everyone who sent along well wishes, positive thoughts and healing energy. It really worked! Lee is recovering beautifully.
To my friends and family in the role of caregiver, I’d like to extend an apology. I’m always preaching to you about self-care, but I now know that it’s way easier said than done. On the other hand, I can also attest to the fact that I see now more than ever, how vitally important it is to take time for yourself.
Yesterday, I gave myself the gift of a long, quiet walk in the woods and then sat down with a cup of tea in front of my favorite program, Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday (I record it every week). I’ve been so excited because her guest was the author of one of my all-time favorite books, The Gifts of Imperfection (I wrote a blog post about it here). I could go on and on about Dr. Brene Brown and the research she’s done of shame and vulnerability, but I spent much of the morning at the local cafe enjoying a lovely conversation with a new friend and now the piles of untended dishes, laundry and bills are demanding my attention. I did, however, want to share with you the amazing Parenting Manifesto Brene read from her new book, Daring Greatly on Oprah’s show. I copied and pasted it down below, but the manifesto is available on Oprah’s website or you can download a beautiful poster format from Brene’s website. I hope it resonates with you as much as it did me.
I think The Parenting Manifesto ties in nicely to the work in Renee Trudeau’s book, Nurturing the Soul of Your Family. I’m happy to announce that Jackie, who left the beautiful comment, “I would love to just be able to experience joy in everyday, without getting distracted by all of the should-haves and to do’s. I want to be able to breathe freely knowing that I am setting a good example for my son to be purely happy, not sensing my stress!” was chosen by Random.org as the giveaway winner.
I hope you all have a great week and I’ll look forward to checking in with you next week!
The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto
(from Daring Greatly, by Dr. Brene Brown)
Above all else, I want you to know that you are loved and loveable.
You will learn this from my words and actions—the lessons on love are in how I treat you and how I treat myself.
I want you to engage with the world from a place of worthiness.
You will learn that you are worthy of love, belonging, and joy every time you see me practice self-compassion and embrace my own imperfections.
We will practice courage in our family by showing up, letting ourselves be seen, and honoring vulnerability. We will share our stories of struggle and strength. There will always be room in our home for both.
We will teach you compassion by practicing compassion with ourselves first; then with each other. We will set and respect boundaries; we will honor hard work, hope, and perseverance. Rest and play will be family values, as well as family practices.
You will learn accountability and respect by watching me make mistakes and make amends, and by watching how I ask for what I need and talk about how I feel.
I want you to know joy, so together we will practice gratitude.
I want you to feel joy, so together we will learn how to be vulnerable.
When uncertainty and scarcity visit, you will be able to draw from the spirit that is a part of our everyday life.
Together we will cry and face fear and grief. I will want to take away your pain, but instead I will sit with you and teach you how to feel it.
We will laugh and sing and dance and create. We will always have permission to be ourselves with each other. No matter what, you will always belong here.
As you begin your Wholehearted journey, the greatest gift that I can give to you is to live and love with my whole heart and to dare greatly.
I will not teach or love or show you anything perfectly, but I will let you see me, and I will always hold sacred the gift of seeing you. Truly, deeply, seeing you.
