in the miracle of time
as if i could stand in your arms
white dress longer than my legs will be
marrying me to god
my arm becomes a part of your arm
long white dress of Christian naming
you look at me
my reach becomes a part of your armament
i look somewhere beyond you
you look at me
as if i might tell you something
i look somewhere beyond
as if i hear a voice
and i might tell you something
about miracles and time
another voice will speak to you
through me
in the miracle of time
i will stand one day even taller
through you
through me
through us
you meet again the infinite
(This poem is for my dear Aunt Carol, the epicenter of joy in our family. Aunt Carol fills our lives with laughter and care. It is impossible to spend more than a moment in her presence and not know what it is to be profoundly loved. Aunt Carol you have taught me what it means to live with an abundant heart, and that home is something we make by sharing love. There is a brilliance to that rivaling the brilliance you brought to your career that has shaped our family for the better. In fact before I had the language for it, you were my touchstone. Looking back I see many friendships and mentorships that I nurtured in my life because intuitively I saw an aspect of you, felt an aspect of what I feel when I am with you: safe, seen, held, loved, happy. And this picture may have been one of the first times that I got to internalize that knowing. This poem comes not exactly from that knowing, but from a question that I see in this picture, a wonder. For me this picture, after a traditional christening ceremony, approaches the infinite. There is something beyond what we see here. And it is that beyond that I offer you today Aunt Carol as you engage the mysteries of this phase of your life in a new community, after retirement, with new generations and meanings of family to bless. I want you to know how your love has become my theology, a generous approach to infinity as we find it in each other. I love you always Aunt Carol. And for everyone who is contemplating the beyond, beyond this moment, beyond even life itself, may you remember what you know of love, and who taught you.)