Estes Park, CO and Meditation

Miah and I went on a trip last week to Estes Park, Colorado and did a 6 day meditation retreat. Besides being out in nature and staying on the edge of The Rocky Mountain National Park the week was amazing. I was a little hesitant to go because I had no idea what it was going to be like, but I didn't want to leave. It was a mindfulness and meditation retreat put on by Buddhist Monks from Vietnam.They talked about how practicing the teachings of mindfulness actually strengthened your own beliefs, whether that be Christianity, Judaism, etc. I learned a lot about the Buddhist beliefs that I didn't know and have a compassionate heart toward them and what they are achieving in this world. We practiced being in silence from 9pm to noon the next day (for 6 days) and ate all our meals in silence to practice being completely present and in gratitude to what you were doing (eating, walking, breathing). - Can you believe that I was able to be quiet for that LONG? - They wanted us to do one thing at a time to really appreciate being able to do that thing and thank God for our breaths, legs to walk, food, etc. and not be distracted by conversation and other things that normally distract us. When you eat in mindfulness you really pay attention to what you are putting in your body and how fast you eat. You are also appreciate more where the food came from and that have such easy access to food where people in other parts of the world go starving. You also pay attention to how much you eat and eat until satisfied and in moderation so that you aren't wasteful or greedy. It was neat to be so grateful for our bodies and that it is a gift from God and to pay attention to how we take care of that gift. It was a vegetarian diet, which was fun. We did meditation walks to appreciate our bodies movements and nature and watched the sunrise. They also taught tolerance, acceptance and compassion for all of God's children, our brothers and sisters. I really liked it and wish more people could experience that.

The picture of the big white building is the Stanley Hotel. That is where the "The Shining" was filmed. CREEPY! It was built in the early 1900's. There's lots of history to this town.

Boston stayed with his Granny and Papa in St. George, UT and had a blast with his cousins and grandparents. He also made sure that Granny got to experience his little attitude. Everytime she would ask him to say "granny" he would look at her and slowly say "papa". Little stinker bun!!~