My little Budda

Emma Sage is my little Zen Master. She has a mysterious smile, a precious round belly and the ability to take an average day and turn it into a spectacular one. She doesn't get hung up in thinking or lost in theoretical musings about this or that,,,she just lives in the moment and can turn an average moment into a spectacular one. Her presense and teachings helps all of us to make the average day into a spectacular one.

Today she lead us on an adventure. It started out very simple and direct. "Mommy, we go to my Birthday park?" Hummmmm, I thought. Today was going to be library day, but this idea seemed like a more perfect idea, we could always do the library tomorrow.

Turns out, today was the most picture perfect of days here in this little corner of North West New Jersey. If you count the top ten best days of the year, today would make the list for 2005.

So we packed a picnic lunch, making extra fruit salad to drop off to Greta at the high school that is located right across from the State Park and headed out.

We settled into the little glen that is forever known as "My Birthday Park"......throughly enjoying each moment. We ate and chatted [watching Emma Sage, Claudia & B is such a delight] about this and that,,,counted leaves and acorns and bugs! We went for a little nature walk, stopping along the way to marval at frogs, salamanders, millipedes and neat looking rocks. They played and played on the swingsets and climbing center, singing and giggling and having such a wonderful childhood time.

I brought my camera to take pictures, but sadly realized that I left the batteries charging in the charger at home. "That's OK Mommy" Emma Sage tells me when I realize my mistake,,,,,and my little Zen Master was right, it was OK. We'd take pictures another day, and for right now, I would just soak up the pure joy and delight that these three were having playing in a perfect glen, in a woods, near a stream and pond with strands of sunshine beaming in through the high canapy of leaves.

So I muse about my live-in Zen Master......a little imp of a thing,,,,,,teaching me daily about how to just be!

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First we braid grasses and play tug of war,
then we take turns singing and keeping a kick-ball in the air.
I kick the ball and they sing, they kick and I sing.
Time is forgotten, the hours fly.
People passing by point at me and laugh:
"Why are you acting like such a fool?"
I nod my head and don't answer.
I could say something, but why?
Do you want to know what's in my heart?
From the beginning of time: just this! just this!

~Ryokan, Eighteenth-Century Japanese Zen Master, Hermit, Calligrapher, Poet