A Child is Born

 Behold, a child is born.  He's your son, you gave him life, look what you've done.  You find it miraculous that something so alive could come out of your body.  The universe is mysterious, hostile, unmerciful, and yet there he is, a blessing from providence, crying in your arms.  You made him, he's yours now.  This loving, vulnerable creature is yours to cherish, to spoil, to bring with you to the ends of the Earth.  Your natural instinct is to protect him from the abrasive world, though you don't know how you will do it.  It all seems so impossible, to raise a child in a place like this.  There are too many other things to worry about.  Bills, your health, appearances at company events, the sickness of his father.  How can you protect him from this diseased planet when it's hard enough to protect yourself? 

His face erases all that worry.  There in the hospital it's just you and him, this wonderful thing you've created.  You hold him close, instinctively knowing how to comfort him.  You rock him until he falls asleep, shifting consciousness between sheets of escape.  How horrible it must have been for him to leave your womb, to breath the fumigated air of this harsh environment, to be thrown out into the dangerous wilderness after resting in peace for so long inside you.  The first time he sleeps changes all that.  Now he is comfortable enough outside your body to revisit that serenity in the cradle of your arms.  And in this transition between states of danger it suddenly comes over you that somehow you'll both make it through, that nothing will ever break the special bond between you, that you would do anything to keep him safe, even if it means sacrificing yourself for his well-being. 

You have no doubt that he will be with you through all the trials and tribulations for the rest of your life.  No matter what happens he will always be on your side, for he will love you unconditionally, just as you love him.  It will be you and him against the world, against whatever it throws at you, and this makes you want to him hold him like this forever.  Gabriel, that's what you decide to call him, after God's messenger.  Yes, he is an archangel of your very own, sent from the sky to guide you through the stormy seas of living.  It's a lovely name that flows over the tongue like water, on wings of grace announcing to the world that this little one will resemble the glory of your legacy, the greatest thing you'll ever create, the ultimate success of your life.  One day he'll be a brilliant lawyer, a lifesaving doctor, or a distinguished scientist, and he'll owe it all to you.