Lesson from a disrupted routine

Living with a toddler again, I have been (rudely) reminded that disrupted sleep is to be expected around the age of 3. Exactly when the time changed two months ago and I thought she’d be getting up later, she started waking through the night and then ready to go before 6am. Upon asking for intervention from the doctor at her regular check-up, the doctor replied, “good luck with that.” The nerve!

How I long for my routine candle-lit quiet time in the pre-dawn darkness. Undisturbed by toddler chatter and the lingering fragrance of a poopy diaper! But. This time is also precious. Upon her interruption, we sit together for a time by candlelight and listen to a butterfly meditation of her choosing. My favorite part is envisioning the butterfly that gracefully “goes from flower to flower, spreading just what the other plants need to thrive and grow.” Together we briefly remember (and I am reminded!) that we can be like the butterfly. We can go from place to place, person to person, sharing the pollen of love and kindness so that our community can thrive and grow.

The quiet quickly ends as she slides off my lap to resume chatter and singing. But first, she turns to hold hands, say our usual closing prayer, and then blows out the flame. Carry the Light with you, Baby.

Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.
the gospel of Matthew 19:14

May you be nurtured by love and kindness today.

In this together.