I lie next to Adahlia in bed, our bodies elongated “c”s facing one another. My thumb gently presses the top of her foot, my fingers curled under her her toes. The knuckles of her fists find comfort in the warm pliability of my arm; my muscle yields willingly, like a pillow to slightest pressure.

I pray in thanksgiving for this moment, for the incredible reality that I am a mother to this being. I give thanks for this child, for her wise, adult expression, her puckering, funny faces, her laughter like a bubbling brook, lifting and cleansing the room as does a shower from an elephant.

I give thanks for this body, for its incredible transformations over the years. I give thanks for the miracle of my womb and my milk, for my ability to receive, create, and nourish. Let the wisdom and peace gained from my life experiences be painted across my body over the coming years. Let my eyes shine bright of the beauty within, let my voice be a river, let my palms be open, my heart expansive.

I give thanks for my ancestors and all the work they did so I could be birthed into this moment, so I could be the person I am. I give thanks for who and where I am, this sacred place I hold. I sense my lineage behind and around me, stretching throughout time. In front of me, lying next to me, the carrier of this lineage forward. I ask to free this line from ancestral patterns of anxiety, worry, reaction and fear, and I give thanks for having the opportunity to do that work in this life. Yes, let the line stretch from me, through her, and into the future, full of strength, joy, and trust. Let us know trust and joy in our bodies, womanhood, and our physical embodiment. Bless us with radiant and compassionate intelligence. Let us shine strong in emotion, steady in spirit.

I ask for blessings for my daughter and my family and myself. Surround us, bathe us, in divine grace, always. Open our eyes to see in the dark, our ears to hear within silence. Let the world shed its patterns that no longer serve its highest potential. Let our children and their children inherit a transforming world, vibrating with light and love.

Bless this child and bless me in my motherhood. Bless her with perception and discernment. Surround her with helpful beings of all form. Guide me in my care-taking and responses to her. Let them always be of highest so that she can grow into her highest. Bless me in my stumblings; bless me in my centering.

I give thanks for motherhood. I give thanks for the transformations I have already witnessed in Adahlia and I’s ever-evolving relationship. Bless our connection. Let it always be strong. Let it be the root that nourishes her as she reaches towards the sun.

I give thanks for this moment, this exchange of love, shared between divine beings. Let it be imprinted upon my soul, let it flow like a melody in the symphony of my being, let me carry it forward into eternity.