This weekend we escaped

We travelled to Sherwood Pines

The forest

It felt good to get away

To escape

It felt good to be away from our house

Our life

A fog lifted for me

Just a little

And I was able to see

The happiness in my children’s faces

The ripples of excitement in their bodies

Their love of getting away too

We had a wonderful time

Two busy days at Alton Towers

And playing with family at Chatsworth House

But we also had quiet time

Listening to the trees

Staring at the skies

Searching for pine cones

And splashing in the muddiest of puddles

We had fun

Despite driving rain

We had fun

Together as a family

We had fun

We took time out

To breathe

To feel

And in doing that

In the depths of the forest

I felt close to Matilda Mae

I cannot tell you why

But I felt her there

And it felt good!

It made me realise that we should do this more

Be together

Be outside

Be relaxed

Be happy

And then

Perhaps then

We might all feel her close more often

Perhaps then life would not feel so stifled

So absolutely full of sadness and grief

I felt like I could breathe among the trees

I wasn’t drowning anymore

And I think my children could feel it too

William was a bundle of excitement

I am certain he seemed taller

And even more confident than usual in the forest

Esther was at one with nature

Talking to the creatures that she found in the wild

Loving building them a home

A bug hotel

When we first arrived in the forest

Inspired by The Faraway Tree

I whispered Wisha Wisha Wisha

Esther immediately ran to a tree

And wrapped her arms around it

Listening to hear their secrets

It made my heart sing

This mix of literature and spirituality

In my tiny four year old girl

My gorgeous gentle children

Showed their love of the great outdoors all weekend

One of my proudest moments

Came when we were bug hunting with the ranger

As part of our Young Explorers activity

The ranger lifted a log and we found worms there

Esther turned to me and said

Mummy, mummy. What do we need to say to the worms?

What do we need to say?

Thank you worms. Thank you for all the work you do.

Thank you worms for all your poo.

Just before our ranger activity

We had read A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies

Which includes a poem about worms

Without worms there’d be no soil for plants to grow in
there’d be no food for animals – or us – to eat
So in the rain and dark, when worms come up from underground
say ‘thank you’ very quietly, for the work they do

She remembered and she thanked each and every worm she found

It was a magical moment

I felt like I was getting a glimpse

Of the soul and spirit of my eldest little girl

Since Matilda Mae died helping my children develop spiritually

Is something that is often on my mind

And in my heart

And I know that spending time with nature

Getting out of the house

Stepping out of the stress of every day

That is going to be key

… nature is far superior to any cathedral or temple for developing one’s spirituality. By spending time in nature, children can learn the very important skill of being. Nature, by its essence, allows people to feel oneness with all of creation, as well as their own true nature. As a parent, there is very little that you need to do to make nature a spiritual experience for children….

Read More at www.hybridrastamama.com © Hybrid Rasta Mama

I made some promises in the forest this weekend

To nurture my children’s spirits

Their souls

To help them grow into caring and compassionate adults

The best way I can

I promise to listen to my children

I promise to really listen

I promise to answer their questions

Their unending stream of questions

In the best way that I can

I promise to get outside

To gaze at the stars

To watch the clouds

To feel the wind in my hair

The sand and grass between my toes

To encourage my children to do the same

I promise to be still and quiet with my children

To help them find ways to feel peace

I promise to play with my children

To watch them play when they ask

I promise to try hard to be the best mummy I can be

And to apologise when I make mistakes

I will help my children to say sorry when they are wrong too

I want to nurture my children

And help them become strong, kind and free

I want to show them how to embrace happy

I know that the first step in doing that lays with me

With me embracing my happiness

My right to happiness

By reconnecting with my own faith

My own spirituality

And I think the answer …

… may lie in the trees!

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