This Is Heaven

After a long day parenting young children, I wrote this meditation as a reminder to take nothing for granted - that heaven on Earth is here right now if I notice. That even during times of frustration, grief, and exhaustion, joy and gratitude can still exist.

Transcript

In this moment on Heal Meditations This is Heaven.

One winter evening after the resistance to surrender to sleep,

My toddler son said one more book,

Mama.

The bouncing on his toddler bed,

The request to sing Twinkle,

Twinkle Little Star,

Time after time to annoyance.

He finally closed his eyes and snuggled his precious head on my chest,

His breath heavy,

His little body warming mine.

I ran my finger over his arms and felt his curly hair in my fingertips.

We sat still.

I realized this is Heaven.

My heart swelled with gratitude.

The day had been hard.

Refusals to eat mac and cheese,

Quarreling with his brother for toys,

Potty accidents more than once,

Screaming for his show on the television,

All of it felt so insignificant.

The hard moments,

Too,

Were Heaven,

Even when I neglected to notice.

Moments in this life are Heaven on Earth.

I want to notice all of the moments.

The sweet stillness of the radiant sky as the sun is setting.

The bright moon on a brisk evening stroll.

The long embrace of a friend after going months,

Days,

Sometimes years without seeing each other.

The warm smile of a stranger followed by a hello.

The compiling of autumn leaves and children's fascination of their crunching when their little feet meet their crispness.

A partner's gentle hand grasping for connection as we cross the street and enter a restaurant.

A hot mug of fresh coffee with steam and the aroma permeating the air.

My child's outstretched arms reaching for Uppy.

An early morning with candles lit and a grateful heart for the day ahead.

I hope I don't miss it.

This is Heaven,

Too.

Heaven is here in the messy,

The imperfect,

The heart-wrenching.

Heaven is here in the joyous delights and seasons of grief.

Heaven is still here in the healing from trauma and the anger knowing we did nothing to deserve what happened to us.

Heaven is in the tears of despair and loneliness and the delight of authentic companionship.

Heaven,

If we notice,

Is right now.

This is Heaven.

Breathe in Heaven.

Reviews

Fantastic meditation to keep in my for all of us listening . I thoroughly enjoy your messages ! You are a natural for this work ! It is so inspiring for me as I journey through this beautiful pathway of living my very best life at all cost !