One of life's great joys is watching our children grow and mature. We marvel at their excitement and enthusiasm as they learn new skills and we reflect on the passage of time. Children grow up so fast and, unless we slow ourselves down to soak in their childhood (and every stage they pass through) we will miss it - even though we may be there for it.

Regardless of whether we spend all day with our children or, because of our schedules, see them only from time to time, we probably do not perceive the extraordinary number of changes that take place in their lives; our lives simply move too fast for us to detect these beautiful, and sometimes subtle, changes.

Have you have ever deliberately slowed in an effort to be more mindful of the present. If you have, you may know the sensation of sudden alertness to things to which you had been previously unaware. Recently, I slowed my pace while walking through a beautiful forest. Prior to slowing down, I thought I had been soaking in the beauty of the place. But after slowing my pace, I began to hear the leaves fluttering around me. I looked to my feet and saw the tiniest ants crawling in the dirt and over fallen leaves. The wind, I had barely noticed before, began to roar in my ears and felt cool again my cheeks.

It is the same with our children as it is with the forest. If we are able to slow ourselves down, we become witness to the beauty of their lives more fully than we might have imagined. We need not change our personalities over night to embrace this opportunity. The slowing down (and its wonderful benefits) can be accomplished in the span of a few seconds. Through the practice of mindful parenting, we welcome stillness into our daily lives, and breathe into that stillness a deep-felt sense of our children. In doing so, we vitalize our connection to them.

The following verse, to be recited when we are with our child, when we see a picture of our child, or as we imagine our child, may help to facilitate this awareness.