Debbie from The Loving Path: piece together peace guest post

Today we have Debbie who blogs at The Loving Path sharing her words and experience from early October and the wisdom she gleaned from it.

In Debbie's words:



This past week and a bit has been nothing short of crazy. We spent an over-night in the ER, a morning at the walk-in-clinic, and plenty of hours where we should have all been fast asleep – wide awake. Isaac has been quite sick but is finally on the mend. In the meantime Fred and I are trying to catch up on missed opportunities to rest and rejuvenate. It’s hard to remain present to the needs of those around you when you yourself are so over-tired and stressed with the illnesses of little ones.



It is times like this when my mindful parenting takes a small nose-dive; where I struggle to remain present for my little son and instead become caught up in the nightmare that is “lack of sleep.” Still it is something that I’m deeply aware of and working on. Because no one deserves to feel worse when all they want is to feel better. And of course I want to parent from a place of peace, no matter how exhausted I am.



I mean, it’s not Isaac’s fault that he caught a cold and that it decided to go into his lungs. It’s not his fault he can’t breathe. And while I recognize my humanness, I also want to strive for better in these stressful situations. I want to be peace in those moments where I find it incredibly challenging. Because only then will my peace become my sons peace. (Or so I hope.) Children learn not by what we tell them, but by what we do. If I am stressed in a moment where he needs me to be present, then what am I teaching him about how to handle stressful situations? I think we all know the answer to that.



So I’m making an intention; I putting “out there” my intention to live my peace, today.

Lisa and Elizabeth of Threading Light have started a Piece Together Peace campaign. What is it that we can do in this moment to be our peace? What can we offer to others so that we are living our peace? It doesn’t have to be a huge change – it’s the little things that count. It all counts. For me, it starts within. When I am running on empty and don’t feel that I am the mother I wish to be, I want to offer myself love; to forgive myself for being human. And when that is said and done I want to be able to use words that comfort. I want to dig down, deep inside and find my piece of peace and share it with my loved ones. I want to be my peace; for myself – and for all of those around me. This is how we start to change the world.

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Thank you so much Debbie for taking the time to share your words with us in this space.