“Family Wakes Us Up” started out as letters between expectant fathers. Now it’s becoming a book. And – we hope – the beginning of a broader conversation about the spirituality of family life.

"...this book is not only about these two men becoming fathers, but rather discussing the spirituality and mindfulness, and the deep layers that go along with it.  Something EVERYONE could benefit from." - First Time Mom & Dad

My name is Matthew.

About a year and a half ago, Michael Stone and I found out that we were sharing a story of second chances. We learned that our partners were pregnant. We knew we needed support. Not logistical advice or slaps on the back. 

We were looking for something our culture rarely encourages, especially amongst expectant fathers: emotional transparency. We thought that if we could be as open with each other as possible – about our expectations, past challenges, regrets, anxieties, and joys – we’d really be able to see what we’re made of, and what all of our years of spiritual practice had actually given us.

We wanted to see how yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda really fit into the most important journeys of our personal lives. What have we really learned on the mat, on the cushion, in the kitchen, through divorce, through previous and ongoing family commitments? Where do we hurt? What are we blind to? What hidden strengths can we show each other?

We began writing to each other to explore our lives and to offer support to each other. We couldn't stop. 

Our letters reflect how deeply interwoven our life-stories are, but as we’ve shared them with others, we’ve been shown that they’re resonant with a broader cultural need. We’d write to each other at dawn -- from home, on the road for work --  pouring out all the juice: memory, fear, sex, wonderment, and the beauty, bravery, and fatigue of our partners.

I think we’ve shone a light on a tender process, too often hidden. There are over sixty letters now, which we're editing. You can read the first four here, posted on my blog.

Recent Coverage:

• Huffington Post - Mindfulness for New Fathers
• Elephant Journal - Family Wakes Us Up
• Daily Cup of Yoga - A Different Remembrance Day
• First Time Mom & Dad - Early Review
  
• Blog889 - Letters from Family Wakes Us Up

This campaign has two objectives. As a simple pre-ordering system (see the rewards!), we’ll raise the money we need to present our work through an independent publishing platform. Secondly, the campaign will allow us to pay some bills during brief sabbaticals of intensive revising, paying our network of readers and editors, and paying our design team. 

The farther reach of our campaign will help us build and maintain www.familywakesusup.com -- where we will collect and curate the best writing on the spirituality of family life that we can find. Our goal is to publish that collection eighteen months after our own book comes to print.

After that? Who knows! We feel it’s time for a new conversation about family life. We’re happy with this effort to start it, and we’re excited to see where it goes.