Dear Ellie,
Immediately after we announced
that your mother was pregnant (and it looked like it would finally stick!), so
many people fell in love with you. Friends and
relatives swooped in to stake claim to your affections, like Wall Street
traders greedily bidding up oil futures. As of
right now, you have somewhere in the vicinity of 3 official grandparents, 5
unofficial grandparents, a gaggle of aunts and uncles... and 0 cousins. In other words, there’s a whole lot of pent
up love in the family but not a lot of ways to release the pressure.
It seemed like an over-abundance
of love even at that time, and I wondered, jokingly, whether it was bad in the same way that an overabundance of candy was bad. But
it was nothing compared to what would come.
After you were born pre-mature and I shared your letters in a blog,
there was a tremendous outpouring of love and support. At first it was from friends and family, but
soon well wishes and prayers were pouring in from acquaintances and
friends-of-friends, then eventually scores of people I had never even met.
On more than one occasion, entire churches
petitioned divine agency to help you on your way.
Prayers have poured in from Christians and Muslims, Hindus and Jews. There are plenty of atheists and Humanists
sending their thoughts, too (and the occasional Publix gift card, hee
hee). A broad chorus of voices of every
shape and variety has spoken on your behalf.
A thousand minds have trained their thoughts on you. I can’t help but to think that all of these thoughts
of love and empathy--- for a tiny person they have never met--- are infusing
themselves into the person you’ll be.
That such feelings in your heart will be second nature for the rest of
your life.
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