Birthsong

I heard something beautiful today.

Father Scott, as he smeared perfumed oil on my forehead in the name of anointing and divine influence, 

told me a tail of tradition in East Africa regarding the birth of a child.

When a woman in East Africa is contemplating becoming pregnant,

she will go off in solitude, often times finding a tree as refuge and she will sit, listen and wait.

The woman is waiting for a song to come her, a song that will be her child's.

She may hear the sounds of nature around her, she may hear her own heartbeat and breathing or she may experience rhythms, melodies and words arousing in her mind. 

What she is waiting for and listening for is a song that will uniquely belong to her child. Her child's birthsong. 

Once she has this song, she takes it to her husband.

She sings the song to her husband and they make love. 

Her husband now knows the song.

Once the woman is indeed pregnant she will teach the song to her Midwives.

Now, this woman, her husband and the Midwives know this child's birthsong.

Finally, during the birth of this child and as this child is entering the world, the Midwives will sing the song to the new little babe.

This child comes into the world hearing her own unique song that was crafted for her.

This child grows up knowing her own song.

So much beauty is wrapped in this story.

The mother begins to listen for the uniqueness that is her child before this child is even in the womb.

Although I have not written a song for my children, I have certainly thought of them and I believe I have experienced bits and pieces of them before they were in my womb. 

And imagine being this child.

Your song is learned by many before you even enter the world through birth.

You have your own melody, your own rhythm and your own words as you enter the world.

You grow up knowing this song that is uniquely yours.

Beautiful.

What if we offered all of our children their own 'birthsong'.

We made them aware of their influence on those around them.

We made them aware of their uniqueness.

We made them aware of their importance in the world, because no one else has their birthsong and this song was crafted specifically for them.

I have been attempting to find ways to do this as we prepare for the birth of our firstborn. 

I pray that the wonderful triune God continually guides me in this journey.

And may I remember that I too have a unique birthsong.