The Profound Musings of a Mother
In a profound moment --- common, but no less a miracle -- my
son Mitchell was born. And in that precious moment, time softened its
relentless cadence and enabled the pendulum swing representing my life to
remain at center. I am surprised at how frequently I now draw serenity from
that moment; its recall assuring me of my course.
Not visible to me at the time, I am now able to acknowledge the situation's humorous fraction. My husband, every bit "the man's man," losing all color and crouching at my feet in a modified three-point stance, his hands open wide to catch the game winning pass; is forever etched in my memory. The recollection of myself at the point of parturitional insanity, demanding a mirror to witness the blessed event, has assumed its permanent placement on my top ten best performances list.
I remember the moment I first held my son. The feelings are still so overwhelming that I am unable to put them into words. And I believe some events are so inspiring they defy language, only to touch your soul. So it is my truth, for no day before or since holds the power that this day does for me.
Yet when I think about Mitchell's birth as the one day I would want to relive, I realize that it's not that day, but those after that have been witness to magnificent change. His birth -- and I am certain I am not single in this phenomenon -- catalyzed my launch from adulthood into maturity.
Nature is a sagacious muse. And although not forgiving, she isn't without compassion and a fertile sense of humor. She weaves into each human being a stratagem upon receipt of parental title that completes an indestructible bond -- a sharing of feelings ending in divine empathy for the child. Ingenious! For my growth now occurs in conjunction with my son's -- nature's largesse. And I realize that what began on that day as the fruition of my most selfish desire has thankfully been recast into my most selfless acts.
- Shannon Bergman
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Special bows for today:
- Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
- Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
- Ian Hass, Kathleen Dickey's cousin, who died on 12/28/20
- Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
- Nora Hayes-Roth, a dear friend of Misha's, who died on 11/25/20
- Dan Pomeroy, a friend of dharma brother, Dainuri Rott, who died on 11/20/20
- Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:
- Misha's cousin, Kenny, who has been diagnosed with ALS
- Shannon's husband, Gil, who has returned home and is slowly recovering
- Misha's brother, Duane, who is almost done (!) receiving radiation for cancer
- Flip Dibner, dharma brother and friend, who is 1/2way through his chemotherapy treatments while at home
- David Shaw, who is continuing the process of PT after a stroke
- From Misha: a heartwarming and inspiring video about the healing power of animals: https://youtu.be/m4HEuLn6Bdg
- “Photos from the Civil Rights Movement,” High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA https://artsandculture.
google.com/exhibit/photos- from-the-civil-rights- movement/9wISPkiyouv-Lw - “Portraits of African Americans,” National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. https://artsandculture.
google.com/exhibit/portraits- of-african-americans-national- portrait-gallery/ xQJisgUMzpY9Lw?hl=en - From Dainuri: a video from our sister sangha, Kannon Do: https://zenbf.org/kdo2020.mp
- Zen Heart Sangha website: resources about COVID-19: www.zenheartsangha.org
- To leave a comment on this blog: Here is a quick video on how to--it's from 2017, but should work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T4RflO5Wgg
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