Welcoming sacred union

The blog I wish I had completed before the birth of Thomas and Antonia's baby. She may be in labor at this minute. Tears of joy, just thinking about it.

After my hysterectomy last fall, I was recovering on the women's unit at the hospital. Once in a while, I would hear a tiny baby cry, followed by a chorus of "Awww...." from multiple family members. It was so sweet that I found myself lying there, just waiting for it. Tiny cry. "Awww..." (I shared this with one of my classes in an email, and later a newborn nurse in the class came up to me and said, with the most exuberant expression, "Yes! That's exactly what it's like!")

While I could not dance for two weeks following surgery, I began learning a new Nia routine called, Sacred and, consequently, contemplating what makes something sacred. It is so easy to recognize the sacredness of new beings, they bring spirit in with them that we all partake of when we see them for the first time. We commonly (across cultures, I once read) take a breath at first sight of a newborn. It's as if we are inhaling some of the sacredness they bring, while simultaneously being touched with wonder and joy.

We also make something sacred by witnessing or recognizing the sacred in it, be it a tree, or an object we can hold in the hand, or a body of water, or a relationship. Our recognition makes it so. While infants bring the sacred in with them, our gathering together to encircle them with love and recognition of the sacredness of who they are makes it even more so. We welcome them in to the wholesomeness of our family, they unify us by coming into being, and we joyfully invite them into this blessed union.

This is also true of the ritual of marriage (this is not a plug, just an observation). A community comes together as ONE to recognize the sacredness of a relationship. It touches our hearts and connects us to the deep, soul-filled longing to live the truth that we really are ONE. That's why we cry.

So, Thomas and Antonia, thank you for allowing us to recognize the sacredness of our union as a family, and blessing our family with the sacredness, joy, and infinite potential of this new being. We are there for her, she is a part of us. We are there for you, as you are also a part of us.

I made people giggle....

It was a serious rally. Serious subjects. And then the Raging Grannies, which are serious in their own, kind of silly way. Found the words for this sign on a sign held by a little old lady sitting on her walker at the rally in NYC. I can just hear her saying these words in her NYC accent.