Talmudic passages
It seems in every culture there is a saying like this Jewish one: “A child arrives with manna under his arm” and there is another saying that seems universal like this one from Montenegro, which a dear friend sent from Croatia: “A glass of bitterness comes with a spoon of honey.” Or there is a Turkish one my father used to say: “From the blackest night comes the brightest day.”
I’m feeding Tin mush, changing his diaper, and rocking and kissing him. Days ago, I was feeding my mother mush, changing her, rocking and kissing her. My greatest loss yielded my greatest gift.
While I keep trying to stop and take stock, sitting in the tub with Tin last night, T on the floor next to us, and knowing that the moments when his little hands curl around my index finger are short lived, remembering the moments when I could kiss my mother would pass quickly too, I can’t help feel my heart is stretching beyond its girth, my thoughts floating above their level, and my life’s book is being written for me based on older passages from books older than me.