Happy Birthday Lunar Baby

Today is a total lunar eclipse, called the Pumpkin Moon, as it turns the moon into a

beautiful ball of orange. It is red because, believe it or not, the Earth’s shadow is filled with red light. The red light comes from the rim of Earth itself, which is aglow with sunlight filtering through our planet’s atmosphere. But according to this chart, I think we missed it. (How to convert Universal Time to your time zone, here.) But, here are some gorgeous pictures and amazing links here.

So, it’s your birthday, and I’ve been reading up on this eclipse, and what it could possible mean about you, and I read this: In ancient times, people realized after watching several eclipses, that the Earth cast a round shadow. This helped them to figure out that the Earth was round long before there were spacecraft and astronaut pictures.

When you were born, you, like the moon, helped teach me something very important too. You were a surprise, and while I was pregnant, I had my hands full with 3 boys, and I just didn’t have time to be pregnant. I never had time to rest, eat right, or stay calm. So, I wondered, how would I have time for you, if I didn’t even have time to be pregnant? I soon learned….

This is hard to explain. But when you were born, I looked into your eyes, ready to do my best to calm and comfort this new little infant. However, I saw something in you that I didn’t expect. You were calm — almost giddy–and you had this look of far-off wisdom and “knowing,” as if you had been waiting to meet me. Yes, I know you were just a baby; but you came from somewhere — and I caught a glimpse of this place. Your eyes were so full of love, wisdom and joy, and it was almost as if you were here with a message for me. I had no choice but to learn to let go, and let be. I can’t put it into words, but basically I learned, when it comes to love, 3+1 does not always equal 4. Love is boundless. And you saw that I could do this before I saw it in myself.

I remember coming out of the delivery room (you were breech, so, it was surgery), to see my Mom and your brothers, and they were in awe, of course. But my Mom, who loves babies, and can’t take her eyes off them, couldn’t take her eyes off me. With tears in her eyes, she kept saying, “I’m so proud of you.” I’m so, so, so, grateful for that moment, and it was all I could think of 2 years later, when she left us in that same hospital.

So that is your birth story.

And here you are, your first day of school, for your brother’s show-and-tell.

Your brothers could never keep their hands off you…

And here’s that adorable smile you always have…