I spend a lot of time these days wondering how I find happiness, joy, and hope despite my own grief. I have discovered that mindfulness is the way. I must stay in the moment. If I go into the past, that is too painful, and if I look too far forward that is also too painful. So in order to remain stable, happy, and hopeful I have to stay right here, right now. The people that help me the most are my kids. If you watch kids, they are forever in the present moment. Emer, my 4 year old will take an hour just to walk to the car (which can be frustrating) due to smelling the flowers/talking to the rocks/talking about the sky. I try to let her be, sometimes I cant, but adults are the ones that ruin that for them. Kids want to observe, learn, stay present, be still, and yet we rush them. Why? Because I believe we are at times uncomfortable there. We live in this fast-paced life and yet we crave peace and stillness. We have the perfect models and we won’t let them be. So I encourage you all as move into this holiday season…to be still…be calm…do what your kids do…stay in the moment…be slow like Emer.