My Little Buddha

Each morning I light a lamp and offer incense on the shrine set up in our living room. This is a morning ritual to make offerings of light and love to the world and recognize the new day as one of opportunity and blessing. Afterwards I sit on my cushion, offer prayers, and sit in quite mediation for as long as the morning time and Tatum will afford, sometimes 30 seconds, sometimes fifteen minutes.

Tatum has become accustomed to this ritual and enjoys taking out a second meditation cushion for her own. She sits beside me for the prayers, and always with a smile.  She may stay for a moment, a minute, or more; but she does sit.  She has come to understand that this is time for mommy to sit and not to play. And this is all so precious to me, the opportunity to practice and for her to observe it and participate in her own way.


Yesterday during the super bowl Tatum grew anxious to get my attention off the game and my body off the couch. She pulled out the meditation cushions and pulled me over to sit. I explained that it was not the time for prayers and to put the cushions back. She fell to the floor in tears as only a soon-to-be-two-year-old can, she wanted it "now" - what a concept! I thought my Buddhist family would enjoy that scene as well as the pictures below:

             

During a recent visit by Lala, Tatum enjoyed being wrapped in Lala's shawl making her look like a little Thai nun and sitting on her cushion.