Happy Birthday, Nova

Look! Another birthday girl in Nana's mirror...

Taking some first steps with my new blue wagon...

Today is Nova's birthday. One year ago, I was heading out in the early morning dark to make the long trip across the mountains. Just as I pulled away from our house, Amanda's midwife called to say everything was going well, and the baby would be arriving soon. (Oops-- I forgot to ask her to define "soon.") Hours passed in the silent car as I drove and prayed and waited for the phone to ring. Finally, just as I reached the Columbia River and the sun was lighting up the pink hills, Amanda called with the most wonderful news a mother can hear. This is a little poem I wrote about a day we'll never forget:

For Nova
That morning you arrived,
You were our bright summer star.
And I drove East to greet you,
Body, Mind, Spirit--
With a prayer for every mile.

Time passed. Road and silence.
Mountains, rocks, fields,
The occasional gift of horses grazing.
And finally, clear desert light
Above the ancient river.

Then your Mother's call, at last!
Wonder and tears
Turning a roadside nowhere into Somewhere.
Oh, you thrilled us
With your big entrance: Here I Am.

So, an old story but still a fresh miracle.
And I arrived at a new place, too.
A little hand to hold,
Precious life to cherish,
The circle complete.