{"id":3824,"date":"2014-04-10T12:25:13","date_gmt":"2014-04-10T16:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.katrinakenison.com\/?p=3824"},"modified":"2014-04-10T12:25:13","modified_gmt":"2014-04-10T16:25:13","slug":"present-moment-mothers-day-give-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/present-moment-mothers-day-give-away\/","title":{"rendered":"present moment — and a mother’s day give-away"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"snow\"I<\/span>\u2019m still waiting for the last snow bank to melt outside the back door.\u00a0 My guess is it\u2019ll linger, grainy and gray, for another week or so.<\/p>\n

I suppose I could get out there today and attack winter\u2019s last frozen carapace with a shovel. If I got that mound of snow and ice all broken up and spread out on the flattened, spongy lawn, it would probably disappear faster.<\/p>\n

Instead, I look at winter\u2019s grimy remains and see an invitation to pay attention. The lingering, slowly dwindling snow bank reminds me once again: nothing lasts.\u00a0 Even the harsh, seemingly endless winter I complained about and struggled against for months is finally on its way out, its last vestiges vanishing by the moment.<\/p>\n

On this windy, chilly spring day, it\u2019s too early to do much of anything productive outside.\u00a0 And so, I walk around and survey the wreckage: the old front gate, broken off at the hinge, the fallen tree limbs, the cache of dead leaves in the window wells, the skeletal remains of the Christmas tree on the patio, the dead hydrangea blooms I never got around to pruning in the fall. \u00a0\u00a0I could easily get overwhelmed by the to-do list formulating in my head — so much work to be done.<\/p>\n

Instead, I simply look around in wonder at the relentless, reassuring continuance of Nature.\u00a0 The year has its rhythms, its phases, as do I.\u00a0 There is a time to honor the winter of the soul, to turn inward and rest, gathering potential for the next season. And there\u2019s a time to gently clear space for what\u2019s greening inside, waiting its moment to emerge.<\/p>\n

It occurs to me that, for today at least, I\u2019m being offered an opportunity to straddle two seasons here.\u00a0 I can step out my back door, rest a bare palm on gritty snow that\u2019s been fallow since November\u2019s first storm, and recall the hard lessons of winter: accept the cauterizing cold, welcome the darkness, surrender your well-laid plans, let go into things as they are, practice patience, have faith.<\/p>\n

\"robin\"O<\/span>r, I can simply round the corner, to the southern side of the house, and inhale the eager elation of spring. \u00a0Out here, an entire flock of robins have landed, as if to celebrate the thaw; they are busily extracting worms from the water-logged grass.<\/p>\n

\"crocus\"O<\/span>ver by the stone wall, a pair of yellow crocuses have asserted themselves where, just yesterday, there was nothing but bare ground.\u00a0 There are crimson peony shoots pushing forth just outside the kitchen door, too, as if they\u2019ve been waiting impatiently to take their rightful place.\u00a0 It is<\/em> mid-April, after all.<\/p>\n

\"shoots\"S<\/span>tanding out in my bare garden, face tipped up to the sun, I marvel at just how much life pulses in a single moment. \u00a0It seems there’s something stirring in me, too: permission to grow and stretch and break some new ground.<\/p>\n

Present Moment<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Don’t get caught in the past,<\/i><\/p>\n

because the past is gone.<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/i>Don’t get upset about the future,<\/i><\/p>\n

because the future is not yet here.<\/i><\/p>\n

There is only one moment for you to be alive,<\/i><\/p>\n

and that is the present moment.<\/i><\/p>\n

Go back to the present moment<\/i><\/p>\n

and live this moment deeply,<\/i><\/p>\n

and you’ll be free.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i>~ Buddha<\/i><\/p>\n

(with thanks to Claudia Cummins at First Sip<\/strong><\/a>)<\/p>\n

What’s greening these days in <\/strong><\/em>your<\/strong> backyard, or in your heart?\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Thinking ahead to Mother\u2019s Day<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"magicaljourney_ksims\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0IT’S COMING RIGHT UP<\/strong> \u2013 MAY 11<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

first, the give-away<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Know a mom who likes to listen<\/em> to books?\u00a0 I have 3 copies of “Magical Journey” on Audible<\/strong> to give away.<\/p>\n

To win<\/strong>, just leave me a comment below.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Want to help spread the word? Share this post on Facebook.) \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

On April 28, I\u2019ll choose 3 winners at random.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Audible version of “Magical Journey”<\/strong> will be delivered, as a gift, to the e-mail inboxes of the winners’ choosing. \u00a0(And you get to write a personal message to accompany it.) I \u00a0recorded the audio book myself — a wonderful, intimate experience.\u00a0 To hear an excerpt, \u00a0Click here.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0(Or, to order your own, click here<\/a><\/strong>.)<\/span><\/p>\n

now, some gift-giving options: <\/strong><\/p>\n

I’d be honored to have you share any<\/strong><\/em> of my books with a special mom in your life. \u00a0And I want to make that easy for you!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. If you\u2019d like a book –or books!–\u00a0personalized and signed<\/strong>, click here<\/strong><\/a> to link to my wonderful local bookstore. \u00a0When you fill out the form, include anything you\u2019d like me to write.\u00a0 Want your books gift-wrapped?<\/strong>\u00a0 They will happily do that, too!\u00a0 Perfect!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    2.\u00a0 Buying your books elsewhere?<\/strong>\u00a0 As always, I have a stash of bookplates<\/strong> \u2013 \u00a0lots!\u00a0 A \u00a0bookplate makes any book a lovelier gift.\u00a0 Ask for as many as you can use. \u00a0Click here.<\/strong> <\/a>\u00a0(Be sure to include the names of your recipients, and your mailing address.\u00a0 Postage is on me!<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

    **Congratulations to Amy Robertson, winner of a copy of Motherhood Realized<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I\u2019m still waiting for the last snow bank to melt outside the back door.\u00a0 My guess is it\u2019ll linger, grainy and gray, for another week or so. I suppose I could get out there today and attack winter\u2019s last frozen carapace with a shovel. If I got that mound of snow and ice all broken […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,33,7,40,14],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3824","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-acceptance","8":"category-impermanence-soul-work","9":"category-in-the-garden","10":"category-mindfulness","11":"category-soul-work","12":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/600x600.png?fit=600%2C600","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3824\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}