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If I could only pick five soul sisters in this lifetime, I’d be hard pressed to make my choices, but I know one of them would have to be Annie Burnside. What an amazing human being! She fills the room with a sincere, genuine presence that turns any blank face into a glowing smile. I could feel myself grinning ear-to-ear through the entire interview.
She’s a joy to be with for many reasons. First, she’s the sort of parent we all desire having and becoming–an authentic, joyful, inspired being ready to support every creative idea and challenge that only kids can conjure. Her teachings are rooted in the conscious thought that parents must be, “… moving down a path of self-realization to heal old wounds, uncover hidden beliefs, release denied emotions, and allow greater joy so that they can become a clear mirror for their children.” Essentially, parents must be committed to their own spiritual growth, maturity, and self-awakening so that their presence is an available reflection of intentional living.
And these are deliberate reminders due to the never-ending “busy ness” that we create to keep employment and family obligations afloat. To see the young people of the world as “intuitive, creative, eternal spiritual beings–much larger than simply their physical form–filled with infinite possibilities,” we must know how this first exists in us, the adults, their mentors.
Annie interweaves all the tasks of parenting with the soulful work of being awake every moment of our lives. She is dedicated to the notion that a child’s moment of challenge can also be an educational lesson where we–the adults, parents, and mentors–simply show up to reflect a heart-felt, encouraging message. Annie inspires all adults, but especially parents to “provide the space and opportunity for children to focus on their interior world as much as the exterior world, allowing greater intimacy with the voice of their own soul to feel what resonates as truth for them.”
As an abstract concept, it might feel distant to “show up” and really know what that means. Yet I firmly believe it all comes back to the model of self-care Annie prescribes, by truly taking the time to be grounded spiritually so that when our eyes meet a youngster in need–with any need at all–we are there, listening, feeling and being with that special, infinite little being.
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