Beloved*
my heart is brimming with gratitude
for the gift of new life

as tiny hands grasp my fingers
and I listen to tiny breaths
I feel my heart filling with joy and thanks
for the ability to love and be loved

may new life begin in me,
so I may keep welcoming life

Beloved
thank you for helping me walk though the darkness,
so I can bask in the light now

there is an inner light that lives in me and
in the life of this little one that I hold
The only words that rises to my lips are
"thank you I love you"