Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood
From Publishers Weekly
A former student of the late California-based Zen master Taizan Maezumi Roshi, Miller spent years working on this book, which distills years of Zen practice in the crucible of her experiences parenting her daughter. From the beginning, Miller is very frank about feeling overwhelmed, jealous of her husband’s love for their newborn, and her periods of depression. The path from these feelings to the realization that “your life is not yours at all” but “an unbroken line of love” to others in one’s family and in one’s life-and to maintaining that awareness through all of the changes of parenting-comprises the rest of the book. Short chapters on having “No Expectation” (which begins with Miller’s difficulty conceiving for the first time at 42 and ends with her preeclampsia), on “Being Unprepared” (labor is induced early, and Georgia Grace is born healthy), on the power of lullbies as a kind of meditation, on learning from small failures (and from the di…
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I’m a Dad, not really a full-on Zen guy, but I do have a healthy appreciation for Zen.
I can honestly say that whether or not you’re into Zen, or are a Mom or a Dad, this book is wonderful. The writing is superb, lyrical and flows like a fresh spring stream, bubbling, laughing, and crying all the way. If you are a parent you’ll like it even more; this is not a preachy book, or some strange mystical women’s book. This is a great book about life and love and it’s a special treat to read. Even for a Guy.
“Momma Zen” is a book to come back to again and again. I dip into it whenever I am having a difficult day, or just seeking inspiration during a quiet moment. Usually I gobble books cover-to-cover, but Karen Maezen Miller’s work is wonderful when savored in small bites. “Momma Zen” reads like a series of thougthtful discussions with a wise friend.
Motherhood is full of uncertainty, reversals, and discovery. “Momma Zen” is a wonderful companion on this journey. Whether you are an expectant first-time mother or the a seasoned Mom, this book has something for you. I recognize myself in every chapter.
We live in an era where an avalanche of advice books can feel overwhelming. “Momma Zen” takes a different approach by connecting with the heart of motherhood–the enduring, essential challenges, lessons and blessings that we encounter in relationship with our children. Karen Maezen Miller’s work is a true gift to give yourself or a friend.
There are so many wonderful things to say about “Momma Zen”. I dogeared the pages that I wanted to refer back to and realized that there are enough pearls of wisdom to string a necklace. Therefore, I decided to let you find your own pearls. The delight in having discovered something is much more magical than having it handed to you.
At the end of the first chapter the author writes, “These words thus flow from my heart to yours, from one other mother to one other mother or mother-to-be. I know. I understand. Me too.”
And she does know!
Momma Zen touched me deeply. I laughed and I cried and experienced moments of realization so profound that I heard myself exclaim, “YES!” When I closed the book I felt at one with motherhood, at one with my baby, at one with my self. I felt present. I felt peaceful.
Momma Zen is not a parenting book. It is a book about motherhood, about being a mother. It’s a book about being.