A Prayer of Welcome

Leo Clay Lütz Arrived May 13, 2008, 2:31 PM PDT; 7 lbs, 12 oz; 19 inches; to Michael & Elana
As my mother said upon finding herself unexpectedly expecting — her fifth — “Well, there’s always room for one more.” Leo was the 6,667,422,452nd person on the planet when he arrived (approximately). And no doubt the cutest. So let us give thanks to the ancestors, all those who came before, preparing the way for this mysterious, miraculous gift to (and from) Michael and Elana. Let us thank all those early ones who learned to run fast and hide in trees across the Serengeti, who discovered how to tame fire, to cultivate crops, to fight disease, to delve deep into the secrets of existence, to work together, allowing the human race to evolve. Let us give thanks to all those who for generations sacrificed their own needs and impulses for the betterment of their children, who learned to economize in times of scarcity, who continued to strive for prosperity, all those who willingly gave of themselves for the benefit of we who have descended from them. This week — seven days particularly filled with calamity, destruction and suffering around the planet — one group of friends and family in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, the World, has been blessed with the gift of a life. And this we celebrate.