Our first grandchild arrived at last on the 24th of May . . . 10 days late, but when he came, he came with a rush. Kate went into labour at midnight and this new little being entered the world as the first rays of sun began to slant through the trees.

He was born at the Iliffs house, in the room Kate and Fiona played as children. In the house where Pete left us just these few months ago.  There is a feeling of balance slipping into place. (A new owl has started perching in the rafters on the verandah) Ginny was there to tend the birthing, and Gudrun, a wonderful midwife, and of course Rory – Kates companion on this journey – and Jane, Rorys mother – who held the process.

And he arrived in true Zimbabwean tradition – no water in the house for 2 days – bottles and buckets of water stored in corners were heated on the stove (and later on the gas as the electricity blinked out)  for Kate to have a small bath.

Jane sent a SMS at 6.08 am: your grandson has arrived
We fumbled down the path in the first light of a crystal morning to welcome this new being (our new grandson) into world.
And of course – he is a complete wonder!

All went well – they are all well– no hospitals or bright lights or forms. A gentle welcome into a early winter morning surrounded by voices he already knew.   They are settled comfortably in their cottage while Kate recovers her strength  and Rory recovers his lost sleep and the baby adjusts to being here, and they all learn what this new experience is. Friends and family are cooking and shopping for them.

And now he finally has been given a name, Elijah Bo, and  my computer and I have managed to get together with the simultaneous occurrence of electricity and internet. I have had some time to let it all sink in:

We have been blessed. I am filled with awe  and gratitude – and this huge question

‘who is this new being?
why has he chosen to join us on the planet at this time?
what is his journey going to be?’

There is something else I have been becoming aware of as our children have begun to have children: the difference of their welcome into the world.

A generation ago, the children were born into a smaller world – linked by letters and telegrams and ‘long distance phone calls’ – and the generation before that was celebrated in even smaller circles.

These children arrive, and the news has traveled to the far corners of the planet within 10 minutes.  Their parents, who have kept connected through this extraordinary new web of internet,  hold one another in such a powerful way.  How many hundreds of voices and thoughts welcomed Eli Bo into the world through Face Book and Skype and SMSs?

And what does this mean?  For if the energy of a loving web of support counts for anything – as surely it must – and their journey is in this changing time of transition – which surely it is – these new children are connected to a global web which holds another potential.

I am filled with questions without answers.

This entry was posted on May 30th, 2011 at 8:54 am by Bev Reeler and is filed under Inspiration, Reflections, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.