A circle of sun

Amid the sadness of the loss of one baby this weekend, we received news of the birth of another; one of my dear college friends gave birth to little Henry this weekend. (And this on the heels of babies born to another friend, a childhood friend and then her sister-in-law, all within this past month.) And, I should add, born to their fathers. I wouldn't want to leave the daddies out of the picture!

There is something so exquisite about the moment of welcoming a new child into the world, something immensely heartening about the promise of what each might bring into the lives of everyone he or she meets, especially, in these cases, knowing the beautiful souls who are parenting them. As a song by Sweet Honey in the Rock says, "Babies are born in a circle of sun, a circle of sun on the birthing day." That circle of sun also extends to those of us who are far away, warming even our little cold corner of Brussels.

So, here is a bit of poetry/song/prayer to say to Henry, Asher, Cai and Joshua, "Welcome to the world!"

Crystallize into your skin,
chrysalis of sun surround you.
Glow your stained glass swaddling,
go into God's world around you.
Absorb the green of love and grow,
dig down in roots, reach up, fly true.
Planted, flown, the salt of earth,
light arrives, the dawn is new.

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