A Diamond Trifecta

OOOOweeee! Today is a big day. Miriam Steven Diamond was birthed this morning in Seattle. Josh and Jen got up very early left their two sweet little men to anxiously await their chance to meet their new baby sister. At about 2 I received a happy phone call announcing that everyone is well and healthy. Mira is 7 lbs 14 ounces of cuddly love. She has very light hair and to me looks like a lovely blend of her two big brothers. Later, her two bros stopped by to see her and Mom and Dad. Both held Mira and were captivated by this new member of their family. Gabe and Eli were leaving and Gabe asked his Mom and Dad who would stay to care for Mira. Being cared for is huge for Gabe. Jen and Josh assured him all is right with the world and Mommy and Daddy will be there for her. Jen and Mira return home on Sunday.

Jen and Josh are wonderful parents. Each is incredibly attuned to their children and are firmly grounded in each child's unique personality and perspective. Jen and Josh are so present to their children. They have a saint's patience. For me there is an incredible sweetness watching them. At Eli's birth, he was taken to a bassinette to be cleaned checked and measured. Jen lying on the surgical table urged Josh to be with Eli and soothe him with his voice. I had the wonderful honor of carrying Eli back to Jen's room. To hold this precious being and understand the weight you carry is the weight of generations in one tiny form. Babies carry the past but are our prayer and hope for the future. To place a young one in life is faith and trust despite the world's harsh realities.

I am thinking of my grandmas and grandpas and Josh's grandma Miriam and wish they were here to share in this exciting time. They would feel keenly the presence of the past, present and future in this new life and see themselves going forward. Maybe it's a bit like Our Town. The characters in the play who had passed on observed how oblivious those they left behind were and how caught up in every day humdrum. Those characters wished for their loved ones the ability to sense how precious it all is and how fleeting. The birth of this baby like all births slows things down and calls us to sense anew the meaning of love and commitment to our children and family for the time we have.

I talked to my Mom and Dad several times today. They are thrilled and anticipate holding Mira and seeing the big brothers in August. Our family time will be wonderful. Aunties' and cousins' arms ache to hold the baby. Mimi wanted to know what the recipe for this post might be. She suggested pablum. This recipe is more about people and what it takes to make a family.

Josh gives his presence as a stable ship in both calm and stormy seas - sailed with a wry grin
Jen is heart and fierceness as she stands for her family
Eli is the watcher and visionary seeing opportunity and creating possibility
Gabe is adventure and laughter, life lived with abandon and joy
Miriam is a cuddly sweetness, a touchstone, a connection
Love stirred in gently on some days, shaken on some - they are a family.