Summertime,
An’ the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
An’ the cotton is high.
Oh yo’ daddy's rich
An’ yo’ mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don' yo’ cry.
One of these mornin’s
You're goin’ to rise up singin’
Then you'll spread yo’ wings
An’ you'll take the sky.
But till that mornin’
There's a-nothin’ can harm you
With daddy an’ mammy standin’ by.
~Music by George Gershwin lyrics by DuBose Heyward
Click here to hear my favorite version of this tune
The lyrics of Summertime seem poetically perfect as background music to my life. It’s a lullaby I’ve been singing to my new little boy born on June 24, a quiet and bluesy celebration of such an amazing life I get to live. Seneca is an amazing gift giver and I believe she will have a hard time topping this incredible gift: a baby boy on my birthday.
Watching Seneca work through the birthing process, give birth to our child, and care for him so tenderly once he was born, has expounded my love for her to an innumerable measure. I have such a deep respect for her grace and power. While going through the birthing process together, a contraction would come along and we’d breathe together and I’d press on her for counter-pressure against the contractions, it was hard not to feel as if all my yoga training hadn’t prepared me perfectly for this moment. Watching the birth and basking in the love for my woman was profound. And then when it came time for me to hold him for the first time, feeling him rest in my arms and looking down at this little creature I’d helped make, my heart almost burst with love. It’s a love that is primal and comes from the gut. It’s something I couldn’t have imagined. I had to go through this entire process to appreciate.
We decided to name him Elio Anand Moore. Elio comes from ancient French and Greek adapted to Italian as well and means the sun deity. Seneca and I experiences a profound and sacred ceremony called Shakti Pat with a guru named Anandi Ma. We emailed her a photo of Elio and asked if she might give him a spiritual name. She saw the picture and an enormous smile came across her face. She then closed her eyes, held her hand over the photo, and when she opened them back up she said, “Anand.” We thought that would be a beautiful middle name. It’s Sanskrit for untold joy or bliss. Sun and Bliss. That’s what this era is. That’s what Summertime is all about.
As this new adventure of kid and family starts out, it reinforces the importance of presence so that not a moment slips by. One week old, and the little nugget already looks so different. I want to be here to witness the entire thing. It reminds me to continually practice presence.
Here’s to my new family! A great big thank you to everyone who has been so wonderful and supportive. It really means the world to us.