Last night was my best friend's daugher's second birthday. The birthday party was "for family only" but, since he's been my best friend for 17 years, he's like a brother and we are always invited to family events. The thing that resonated with me last night is how wonderful families who are really whole and loving are. My family is, for the most part, negative by nature and so completely dysfunctional that a warm, loving, open arms feeling never flows with anything we do as an extended family (and that isn't much at all, for what it is worth). The Husband's family is much more warm and loving but very separated... the kids only get together for "events" and, even then, it is difficult to get the personalities all on the same page. To see a family that gets together, all of them together, something like 4-5 times a month is heartening. Not only are they warm and loving and full of embrace for their own but for the loved ones of their own. That's the environment, the family and the love I want for my children... to always have an open door and an open heart.

Today at swimming I ran into the lady that I "inspired" to have a homebirth. So selfishly gratifying to see her. I had been telling The Daughter's birth story in a room full of suburban moms figuring I'd get the usual response of "ooooookkkkayyy." A few months later when I ran into her again she informed me that, thanks to my telling my story, she had decided to have a homebirth. Today was the first time I'd seen her since (I had seen her husband and knew the birth went well). It was just wonderful to hear her tell of her birth, her pride in her birth and of her daughter as she watched her little brother come into the world. I am so happy that my big mouth ;-) helped another woman discover the joy of homebirth.