Today, you stand at a precipice, a turning point, a moment when you will look back and observe a clear before and after.

Many of those surrounding you today recall this evolution in their own lives, and ripe with experience, they have much wisdom to share. May you seek out and allow yourself to be embraced by those who have tread the path before you, not only at the start of this journey, but throughout every chapter. Through sleepless nights, the challenges of early childhood, years of guiding them through school, the new horizons of the teenage years, and everything in between, may you seek wise counsel and trust your own innate wisdom.

Soon you will greet the newest branch of your family tree, your first descendant, and a witness to your life. You will choose their first outfit, and they will also select your last. You will stand in awe of their first breath, and they will hold in reverence your final exhale. You will both instruct them on the path of life and find in them your greatest teacher. May you pause to take in and breathe through all these transitions, cherishing every iteration of your life together.

Lastly, let us call into this space the many fears that may arise, so that we may name them and befriend them. May the fear of the unknown bring in the gift of expansiveness and adaptability. May the fear of making mistakes bring in the gift of learning and mercy. May the fear of the insurmountable bring in the gift of knowing you and your child carry more wisdom, magic, and fortitude than you ever before imagined.

And in the moments where these truths evade your grasp, may those who love you be there to renew their validity. Go forth and revel in it all.

Blessed be.