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The most precious gift we can offer is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

Thich Nhat Hanh

I have two children; a son who is 5 and a daughter who is 7. This story has to do with my 7 year old daughter, Norah.

The other night, my husband went out to grab a drink with a friend. I had successfully put the kids to bed and had JUST set my meditation timer for 20 min. I let out a deep sigh and settled in. After a few minutes I could hear some rustling around in the hallway. Ugh. One of the kids was up. Double Ugh. My first thought was "Why is it that every time I sit down to meditate, I get interrupted!?!" But I forced myself to smile and opened my eyes. There was Norah.

She told me she couldn't sleep. I told her that she was welcome to sit next to me while I meditated. She could either meditate or look quietly at her book and then I would tuck her back into bed. So she sat next to me until my timer went off. It was certainly not my best meditation session but at least I was able to sit, right? I tucked Norah in as promised and I didn't hear a peep until morning.

When Norah came out in the morning she had a smile on her face. She said she had laid in bed meditating and that she had fallen asleep meditating. I asked her how she felt when she woke up and she said "happy". And you know what, she looked happy. Really happy.

Since then, she's told me that every night she meditates before she goes to sleep. I don't know how long this will last. I'm not sure if meditating while laying in bed will become a lifetime practice for my sweet girl. But I'm reminded that our actions really do speak louder than words, don't they? And to think of my 7 year old, with her old soul and wise spirit, I'm humbled beyond words.

— Sarah, Seaside, CA


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