It Takes A Village

In the month of May, I was honored to be present for my nephew’s birth. The process of being there to coach and labor with my sister was an enormous gift for me. While I have three children, and have been teaching prenatal bonding for many years, I have never had the opportunity to attend a birth.

As I reminisce about the experience of Seth’s birth, I feel tremendous joy that I was able to be part of the “village” that supported my sister during labor and delivery, and welcomed Seth into the world.

I was able to physically move my body with my sister’s, to truly support her and be in union and in sync during her contractions. Labor is one of those experiences where you can feel so helpless and alone, because no one can remove the pain (except an epidural). It was my desire to be with her in a way that I could help absorb some of what she was going through. Connection. That is what we experienced. It was so beautiful.

Birthing a baby is, as we know, something that only a woman can do. It can be difficult for a man to see his partner in so much pain, and not be able to “fix” it. And, it can be difficult for him to connect to the depth of what she is experiencing. For my brother-in-law, having a village of support during this process allowed him to provide what he was most comfortable and experienced at providing … moral support, strength, love and presence. It was invaluable. Everyone had their gift to bring to the process, and it was such a blessing. 

Once Seth was born, I had the opportunity to welcome him into the world by acknowledging his Light. How many of us go through life just wanting to be seen? What a gift it would be, if every baby could hear the words, “I see you. I see your Light. I know you know who you are, and you have many gifts to bring to us. Thank you for being here.” I feel so much gratitude to have had that opportunity.

As we go through our lives, and we see children around us, no matter how young or old they are, may we take a moment to acknowledge their Light. We can tell them that we know they have gifts to share with the world. We can let them know that we “see” them. This is such a beautiful way for us to help them not to forget who they are.

And as we mingle with adults in our daily activities, may we see them through the eyes of love. May we see them as the baby and the child they once were, realizing that they have probably not yet been truly “seen.” May we see them, acknowledge them, and love them.

A pebble, when dropped in a pond, creates a ripple effect far beyond where the pebble initially entered the water. In this same way, these gifts of love that we share with children and adults in our lives will reach far beyond the individual that we are touching in that moment. 

We all entered this world as Light. We have a candle in our belly. May we fan the flames, and then take our candle into the world, touching as many candles with our flame as we possibly can. May we Light the world.

The children are waiting for us to wake up and BE the Light that we are.

Traci Gaffney is the mother of three children, and Founder of A Loving Way, a Wellness Advocacy for Children and Parents. She is a Parenting/Pregnancy/ Life Coach/Speaker/Author, with an extensive background in energy healing. She is the creator of “Who I Am” Energy Cards. Contact her directly at 800-647-1171 or tracigaffney@alovingway.com.