I heard angels singing in the voice of Dan, when he announced Miss Zoey Grace Pitre made her debut 1/26/2010! What joy, what incredibility a birth is… My soul jumped like I think Elizabeth’s soul must have, when greeting her cousin, Mary of Nazareth, as she appeared at her door.
Birth.
I have always wondered how men can identify with their God, never having felt life within them, or the rhythmic cycle women experience. The spiritual and physical co-dependency – a dance – that occurs in that most sacred of sacred times. To be a vessel in the fullest sense of the word. “And the word was made flesh.” Regardless of how the life began, feeling the first flutter, the murmur under your heart is breathtaking. That’s when I learned to pray, to believe. It’s as though Thomas pre-dated himself to the Garden of Eden and said “no one will believe this love you have for us without a sign” and God said, “and so it will be.”
The burden and the bliss are in constant conflict from the day our children are born. But today is about Zoey Grace, a tiny miracle that is being shared around the world through – of all things – Facebook, and also through this small blog.
I was lifted up, in voice and spirit by the beauty of Zoey. Here she is, exhausted more than Momma and she has the boldness to stick her tongue out at the world.
I used to watch my babies and was sure they were still in dialogue with God, from the wisdom on their face, or the ecstasy of their smiles. I believe – as they learned our language – they lost the recollection of the angels and saints who prepared them for their journey. By the time they go to school, they no longer believe they can fly, or are invisible. Sadly.
As Catholic as I am, I believe what Sr. Paula Gonzales taught me years ago. A wise, educated metaphysicist, she brought to mind the Big Bang theory that has been substantiated by science. While it might stretch our theology to say we are re-created into new lives, she explained that there are a finite number of atoms / cells that are constantly recycled. I remember being stunned with the notion that Christ’s flaking cells became part of the earth, the rain, a tree … It still gives me pause. “That freckle you have could bear the history of Adam, Moses, Gandhi, Confucius or Jesus.” What secrets, besides her genes, does baby Zoey bring with her? Is she as wise as the greatest Buddhist monk? As gentle as the petals of a rose in the morning dew? Will trees bow to her as she passes, recognizing all of nature within her? Will the ailing dog know Zoey will carry him on, just by sleeping in her crib?
To her parents: There is a modern parable about a gentle old man who, each day as he sat in his garden, watched the progress of a lowly caterpillar. He saw it climb onto his precious leaves of grape, and yet he left it undisturbed. Soon the chrysalis was built, and hung heavy with its growing, bulging transformation. One day he noticed the shell had begun to crumble, and he watched with awe as elegant legs worked tediously to remove this cumbersome chamber it had been created in. A wing appeared – turquoise, black feathered tips, a hint of gold. Worried for its safety, he assisted in removing the cocoon. What he found was a butterfly, but its wings were fused together, and it would never fly. And he wept.
This is a beginning of a journey where you will weep many times for the love of Zoey Grace, and be impatient, and want to save her from the harsh realities that life can bring. But you must have faith that each step will make her stronger, and her need for you will decrease, but never diminish. A child, newborn or 90, is still a miracle from God. And that you were chosen for this journey is the real miracle.
May God bless you abundantly. And know you have a community of millions who will cherish Zoey with you, and keep you in our prayers.
Zoey gives us/me a faith of renewal… of promises… of hope and believing that miracles happen just because we are loved.
Blessings and love to you all,
Vicki
Welcome, Miss Zoey Grace Pitre, into the loving arms of your family and all of us who will walk with you spiritually for the rest of your life. You are precious, you are cherished and you live in the hand of God.
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