Two

And just like that, our little Sukhjot turned two.  She melts me.  Totally and completely melts me.

You know what she does?  She'll come up and put her little, soft hand on your shoulder, look you in the eyes and say, "I yike you!" with such a heart felt enthusiasm and  joyful smile.  "I yike you!"  She says it over and over again like she knows that sometimes it takes a while for people to absorb such pure love.

She chases birds, calling out to them, "Hug you!"

She wakes up smiling in the morning.  She dances and claps when her favorite shows are getting put on: "Timmy" and "Heep." She eats tomatoes by the bowl full and loves to teach me yoga.  (Though when she asks for it, I often can't tell if she is asking to do yoga or eat yogurt - she enjoys both.)

And she throws amazing fits, gives very skilled dirty looks and will, as Satvinder says, "claw your face off" if she's in one of her fierce moods and not in agreement with what is happening in her world.  She is two, after all. (Have you seen the "Never say no to Panda" commercials?  They remind me of two year olds.  So cute.  But look out if you say no.)

She's fabulous, just fabulous.

Prayer

My most recent post for Yogamint.com  is about the power of a mother's prayer for her children.  See the post here:  Bless the Children.  For me, prayer is interwoven in so many things throughout my day.  It is silent, it is spoken, emoted, sung, felt...it is an ongoing communication.  Somehow I've gotten to a point in my life where it doesn't even matter all that much that I don't know who or what I'm communicating with.  That aspect used to really trip me out, of course - sometimes it still does - but mostly I just go with it.  Prayer makes me feel like I'm not alone and I do feel heard.  I feel like the message is received, no matter what form it is made in.  And I feel like there are answers given too - there is response.  Sometimes it is immediate - suddenly knowing what to do when moments before I was clueless.   Sometimes it is a slower unfolding and not at all how I would have planned - but the resolution does come in its own way.  So I don't know how it works but it is my experience and belief that it does.

Right now meditation ties in a lot with prayer for me - mostly because I am leaning towards more devotional meditations.  One that I've been doing since the end of September is simply sitting and chanting the shabd (devotional song/hymn) Dhan Dhan Ram Das Gur for 31 minutes.  I started it when things were pretty much falling apart in my life and I had no where else to go.  This shabd is perfect for those times when all you can do is ask for a miracle.  I sing it from my heart and when I was in the thick of life's intensity, I poured so much emotion into it.  Sometimes I sobbed the whole way through.  But it brought me peace when I needed it desperately and I have experienced some things that I can only describe as "miraculous."  So every day I sit and do it.  It has been like a life raft to me.

Today I started a shorter practice (also, coincidentally, associated with Yogamint.com!) - joining in with others who are doing a meditation collectively for 11 days. It is only 11 minutes - that's easy to add in!  I mention it in case anyone wants to join in - meditation and intention just gets stronger when more people add to the mix.  Here is information: Meditation for Wealth and Intuitive Opportunity.

Light

Yesterday I was going through old files and saw/realized that the date of my very first yoga class (which forever changed my life) was on 11/18/96, exactly 7 years before the birth of my first child on 11/18/03 (which forever changed my life.) That seems so amazing and beautiful to me.


Speaking of Satvinder's birthday, here is a picture from her class celebration.  I didn't get very good pictures but I like that this ones shows their black board.  I really appreciate that at her school, art is everywhere.  Satvinder's expression lets us all know how awesome it is to have your mother come to your class room and take pictures of you on your birthday

Satvinder handed out snacks and the children took turns "performing" for her - doing a song or dance or playing the piano (they have a piano in their classroom!)  Sukhjot enjoyed the celebration too - watching the children and activity - and helped herself to an empty desk.

We lit lanterns that night - I had made a few paper lanterns and Satvinder made the felted glass jar lantern at school. (The school's lantern walk was that night so the students all made lanterns.) 

The lanterns are a pretty fun little project.  Here are some instructions:
Star Lanterns
Balloon Lanterns