Grandmother at Bealtaine

I have a newborn granddaughter.

Everything I knew before about being a grandmother is now rooted in the body. I know it in my eyes, heart, belly, bones, down into the Earth.

We are all rooted in Earth. She is our mother, in the largest sense. Everything we are comes from her. Seeds planted by stars.

Through Earth, we connect to ages long past and into the future. The elements that form our molecules came from stars. They will exist long after we return to dust and ash.

Through my mother and father, my grandparents, and all who came before them, I am linked to the human past. All of who I am as a human being came from them. Through me, my children and grandchild anchor in that past. Through them, I anchor in the future.

Every day, we, beings of bone, blood, and stardust, help create that future.

The night before my granddaughter was born, I prayed for her safe passage through the birth canal. My prayers were answered. She is here, and the world is changed.

Today I say another prayer: that we humans will be courageous, collaborative, kind, and compassionate enough to help create a world in which she and millions of other newly embodied souls can live and thrive.