Birthdays

Four days ago was my 36th birthday and today is my daugher's 6th. (My daughter is 30 years and 4 days younger than me and my youngest son is 30 years and 7 days younger than my brother)

It is hard to believe that it was six years ago when Luna was born. My neighbors are all in shocked disbelief. Luna was born at home, outside in the hot tub that we were forced to buy to close the deal on our house.

Luna's birthstory (in fairly graphic detail) is online here. Her mom is a midwife so her version of the story is rather vivid.

I'm forever indebted to the Rev. Forrest Gilmore for an experience I had during a worship service he lead during my orientation when I started at Starr King School for the Ministry.

Each of the new students had come to the pulpit one by one and had received a blessing as he dipped his hands into a bowl of water from the ocean and laid his hands on ours. When we returned to our seats, we reached out our hands as he talked about ministry and the power of our hands to work and heal. As I held my hands in front of me (roughly in the position you would use at the end of a bounce pass in basketball) my mind and body were transfixed and I mentally returned to the day my smallest ones were born. I could feel them gliding into the world through my outreached hands. I began to cry in joy and could only sit in awe of and communion with the miracle of birth and creation.

I can only hope to ever have an experience at worship like that again, let alone to give that gift to others someday.