Love's Labor Done

If I could have written these words and taken these photographs, I would have.  They are the words and images of my heart, the outward expression of the thoughts I keep in my mind and savor during these early weeks of Moriah's life.  But I didn't write the words or take the pictures; instead, I was helped by two women--one of whom I know, and one I do not--but whose skill I was grateful to borrow and benefit from.  Sometimes the wisest thing is to let others speak for us.  

Photos by the lovely and talented Emily Sacra

Words by Carol Van Klompenburg, 

as quoted in When the Belly Button Pops, the Baby's Done by Lorilee Craker

Birth
One final push

And you burst forth
Wet and waiting,

Your farewell to the womb
And your welcome to the world.

Love's labor done

I gaze
Awed to silence.

Nine months you've kicked and squirmed
Seen through my womb darkly.

Now face to face

I murmur mother sounds
And touch your cheek and chin.

Love, which bubbled underground
For forty weeks,

Bursts skyward in a geyser
And melts heaven's gates.

In one eternal moment
I hear angel choirs

Echo my alleluia

To your maker and mine.

 * More pictures from this photo shoot can be found here on Emily's blog *