The birth of my grandson, Greyson, on December 8, 2018, has been an extraordinary blessing to me and to my immediate and extended family. He has altered the course of my life-giving me an opportunity to heal very old wounds which have dominated my emotional life for close to 40 years, even pre-dating my beloved son, Josh's birth. I am finding myself remembering, as I hold Grey, about who I wanted to be as a mother so long ago and how, for many reasons, I failed to live up to my own rather unrealistic expectations. This must be a universal experience for grandparents and one which is impossible to replace. It provides the springboard for improvements, long term, of virtually all of my relationships-both with people and with my own happiness and creative development.
A peasant folk dance skirt, created last year while exploring the history of Latin dance, knitted pieces, gardens, animals, dancing , painting, cooking, wine, dear friends, and connections and inter-dependencies with family and colleagues alike-what will Greyson make of this highly colored and active world? He resembles both of his parents, me (according to one of my fellow dancers) , and I think also his uncle Josh. What will his choices be as he grows and changes-will he be a carpenter like his father, a farmer, a writer like his beautiful mother, a lover of history and politics (and Star Trek) like his uncle, an artist like me? His presence has re-birthed his own ancestors-my parents and grandparents in particular, and many, many generations of people whose DNA is his unique inheritance. I love him and am awestruck by him.
And so we begin this New Year of promise-with Greyson's "loving heart and grace for all mankind" (from the Wexford Carol) leading the way into the light.
