Always With You

Once upon a time, not so very long ago                               

In a land far away that was very close to home                     

A beautiful baby was born by the light of the moon             

And blessed by the Spirit of Love.                                        

Fireflies danced and lanterns glowed,                                   

The stars kept watch and all creatures sang                          

For it is always a joy when a new life comes!

And a whisper was spoken into the night 

“I will always be with you.”

From the very beginning,                                             

The baby’s heart had everything it would need

To greet its amazing life;                                      

Courage and strength,                                              

Stillness and peace

Delight and joy, 

And Oh, 

So much love!

At the same time                                                                                                 

in a place as distant as the starry sky                     

and as close as breath                                          

A family was waiting                                             

Waiting with warmth and kindness 

Waiting with wide arms and open hearts

Waiting with more love 

Than they could hold between them.

And in the kindness of all who surrounded them

The Spirit of Love whispered 

“I will always be with you.”

One blustery day as the wind whispered in the trees            

The people who had brought the baby to the door of life 

Sat by the light of the moon for the longest time thinking.

They knew in their hearts                                                           

that the family was meant to love the baby too

and to care for it more than they ever could.                       

They knew that meant they must let the baby go                 

To find the ones who were waiting to love it.                    

                                                                                                    

And so they prayed a prayer 

that the baby would stay safe and loved.

And a tear ran down their cheeks

Into the ocean of sorrow which washes the shore of life

And the Spirit of Love whispered in the waves

“I will always be with you.”

In the time that followed,                                                       

There were moments when the baby was afraid and lonely

But the baby grew strong inside, and had courage               

The baby sang songs to sing away the fear                                    

And dreamed dreams of wondrous places  

Cozy beds and yummy food

Home that was waiting and family to love.                              

And all through that time

The Spirit of Love never left the baby’s side

The family, too dreamed dreams

Of the sound of children laughing

And soft breathing at night 

Small hands holding tightly

And joy in the morning 

And all through that time

They, too were held by the Spirit of Love. 

And the people who had given the baby life had dreams, too.

They dreamed that the baby and the family found each other

They dreamed of a better life for everyone   

They dreamed of happy endings

The Spirit of Love came to them in their dreams

and whispered that ‘All would be well.’

And somehow the baby found the way

To a place where beds were safe and warm

Mornings were filled with light and laughter  

And nights with playfulness and peace 

The baby looked up into faces of kindness

And saw the Spirit of Love there, too.  

It was a good place on the way

To home and family

Who knows by what magic 

The baby and the family found each other?

They may have been joined 

Since the first drop fell into the ocean,

The first mountain rose to the sky 

Or the first ray of sun shone over the earth

Or it may just have been that the baby needed a family 

And the family needed a baby

And so the Spirit of Love set about making all things ready

For the family and the baby to find each other.

A single thread was spun between their hearts 

That could never be broken

And all those who loved them saw it and rejoiced

Tears of joy and sadness flowing together into one river 

That carried them to each other on the warm wind.

And the family who was waiting

Flew to the baby’s side

Together they went home

While hellos and goodbyes 

Rang across the land with love

And the Spirit of Love whispered

“I was always with you."

Now this might be your story, 

or the story of someone you know

It might be the story of someone you will never know.

For every life is rich with Mystery,  

There are questions that can never be answered

and answers that may never be known.

But this is true and has always been so

Love can find you wherever you are

And the Spirit of Love is always with you. 

Allison Mary Barrett      for Jiao Jiao     2009