Your Worth (On the Night You Were Born)

My daughter got a book from her aunt. It wasn’t even an intentional gift; it was thrown in with a bag of art supplies and hand-me-downs, all nonchalant-like. 

It’s called On the Night You Were Born.

I read it to her the other day. It begins:

On the night you were born,
The moon smiled with such wonder
That the stars peeked in to see you
And the night wind whispered,
“Life will never be the same.”

Because there had never been anyone like you…ever in the world.

So enchanted with you were the wind and the rain
That they whispered the sound of your wonderful name…

The whole world came together to celebrate, on the night you were born. I read those words to my daughter with complete and utter knowing that every word was true for her. After all, I was there on the night she was born and I actually heard the wind whispering her name. The moon did shine brighter. I saw the stars peek in the window to see her.

She believed it, no questions asked. She knows her worth.

Do you know yours?

…never before in story or rhyme (not even once upon a time) has the world ever known a you, my friend, and it never will, not ever again…

Never another you, not before and not again. This is true of my babies, your babies, me, you. The world never has and never will know another you.

Can you feel the truth in that?

So whenever you doubt just how special you are
And you wonder who loves you, how much and how far,
Listen for geese honking high in the sky.
(They’re singing a song to remember you by).

Or notice the bears asleep at the zoo.
(It’s because they’ve been dancing all night for you!)…

The moon and the geese and the wind and the polar bears, all celebrating her! Of course they were. My perfect, innocent little baby was clearly worthy of all of that glee and she believes me when I tell her.

Do you know they celebrated you too, with the exact same exhilaration? And the grumpy old man down the street and the ex who cheated on you and you…you, you, you….

Much as I tried to hold it together, I cried as I read to my daughter.

She observed, “Mommy waaah” with her imitated crying noise. “Mommy sad?”

I told her Mommy was very, very happy that I got to be there the night she was born and see the celebration that ensued. And that I get to spend this lifetime with her, the only her there ever was and ever will be.

And I told her I was also a little sad that some people don’t remember that the geese honk and the moon shines for them. Sometimes, when people grow up, they forget. Or they can’t believe it, no matter how hard they try. No matter how many people tell them, sometimes adults just can’t let it in. Some people don’t remember how special they are.

At my request, she promised with a pinky swear that she would always remember. She has no idea how difficult it might become as her mind grows up to tell stories and then believe those stories. Or how difficult it might be when she feels the standards and judgments of the world around her. But she promised to try, anyway.

Can you try, too? It’s not too late to at least try to see it all as a celebration of you.

If the moon stays up until morning one day,
Or a ladybug lands and decides to stay,
Or a little bird sits at your window awhile,
It’s because they’re all hoping to see you smile…

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