Guest Author - Linda J. Paul

Recently a beautiful baby girl was welcomed into the congregation at the Unitarian Universalist church I attend. Her parents and four -year- old big sister stood proudly beside her as the Speaker of the congregation blessed her with love, compassion and joy. It was a beautiful service, all the more touching due to the fact that we had been kept up to date on the pregnancy since the very beginning. It had been a long, tough nine months, and we knew how happy the parents were that it was over and that this little person was now a part of their lives. Both parents were radiant and glowing with love as their four-year-old daughter promised to help to guide and teach her little sister.

After the service, we all gathered around to admire the baby and wish the family well. Hugs abounded and tears of joy flowed. It is always such a wonder to welcome a new life into this world. Before the congregation drifted out the door for the rest of the day, a bouquet of flowers was presented to both of the mothers, with a smaller one for the big sister. I snapped a picture, a freeze frame in time. And, it showed two beautiful mothers smiling peacefully down at their two beautiful daughters.

I had obligations to fulfill in the kitchen at the church that day, so I wandered downstairs. Two of my dearest friends were there with their 10 year old daughter and 7-year-old son. The children were busy in the playroom creating artwork for the holidays. They were cutting out gold and silver pentagrams to put on their Yule tree. We all stopped to admire their work, and since I had my camera out already, I took another snapshot of the four of them together. And, it showed pagan parents smiling proudly down at their two beautiful children.

Another friend of mine wanders in to help out. He had his 10-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son in tow. His son is a special child who needs a lot of attention and care. And, his father sees to it that he gets just that. Father and son disappear into the nursery for a few minutes, because the boy needs to be changed. He is working hard to become potty trained, but sometimes accidents still happen. As they emerge from the nursery his daughter runs over to join them. He bends down to speak to her, and snap-- another freeze frame in the camera lens. And, it showed a single dad smiling lovingly down at his beautiful children.

I am just about to leave the church. The cooking is done, and the kitchen is cleaned. There is a knock at the door, and standing there is a Buddhist friend of mine with her 12-year-old grandson.

She has stopped by to drop off some items for our Community Meal. She looks tired, and I ask her if she has gotten any sleep today. She works the overnight shift in a local store so that she can provide for her grandson and herself. She is 70 years old, but she can still work circles around the younger folks. Due to extenuating circumstances, she is raising her grandson by herself. As she comes through the door with bags and boxes, she drops a box of glassware. Her grandson catches it before it hit’s the ground. They both laugh. Snap-- another portrait. And, it shows a grandmother looking laughingly down at her grandchild.

I have those pictures. I made them into a framed collage, and I keep it on the wall by my computer. When I am feeling down, I look at it, and it always makes me smile. This is a portrait of love. Love in the highest degree. It is unselfish, compassionate, tolerant and unconditional love. It doesn’t matter in the least that some of these children in the collage have gay parents or pagan parents or a single parent or a surrogate parent. It does not matter because the common denominator is the strong, lifelong commitment I see in each and every one of those parents’ eyes. And, I see that love mirrored in the eyes of each and every one of those children.

Whatever happens in the future, whatever changes take place in these peoples lives, they still have that freeze frame moment in time, when love in the best and highest degree was present, blessing them and filling their hearts to overflowing.

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