Epiphany loaves and fishes

It began before Daniel was born. Several weeks even.

I was at my Wednesday night yoga class. I can't remember if I had biked over to the Civic Center that night or not. I was well into my third trimester of pregnancy, but my due date was still several weeks away. I walked into the multi-purpose room and spread out my yoga mat on the floor. Before class started one of the ladies next to me handed me a small purple gift bag. Folded inside was a crib-sized quilt she had made.

For your new baby, she said.

She made sure to include squares of blue cloth and some floral print. She knew we didn't know baby's gender. But she had a hunch it would be a boy. She was middle-aged and married. She and her husband never had children. A few weeks later she brought a sack full of scarves she knitted. She invited me to pick out one I liked for myself.


As the weeks went by there were more small gestures and fortuitous encounters:

• A woman in my Sunday night small group gave me a rosary bracelet from the Holy Land.
• An old friend came over at lunchtime when all the girls were at school. She brought homemade chicken salad and miso soup. We chatted until it was time to pick up our children from school.
• A woman at church approached me in the restroom. Her name was Gloria. You have such a beautiful family, she said. Then she broke down with tears. Her daughter was struggling with infertility and was longing to become a mother. 
• One of the teachers at school offered to drive our girls home at the end of the school day -- not just once, but on a regular basis. (At this point Josephine was pointing out my pregnant waddle and knew I would be much happier if I could rest in the afternoon rather than make a repeat drive to and from school.)

And I began to recognize the power of submission.
To open my hands and my heart to humbly accept what is being offered to me.
The more I listen and receive, the more I grow to understand what it means to abide.

To abide is to remain, to dwell, to be still and be present. To acknowledge the presence of another.


As soon as Daniel was born, the flood gates opened. It feels like a present day loaves & fishes miracle. I cannot begin to count the literal multitude of gifts that have shown up to welcome this new life:

cards, homemade meals & sweet treats, baby boy clothes & blankets, stuffed animals, books, gift cards, pints of Kopps custard, mementos, and best of all, visitors!

We have no need for gold, frankincense or myrrh.
Our hearts are overflowing with awe, gratitude and love.