Here is a thing my heart wishes the world had more of: I heard it in the air of one night when I listened to a mother singing softly to a child restless and angry in the darkness. ~ Carl Sandburg
The good news is that there has been a significant increase in the number of gay, lesbian and bisexual couples who are becoming parents. Ceremonies for families and children are heart-warming, extremely varied in format, and rich in symbolism. Here's a brief overview. When we meet to discuss your ceremony, I'll provide you with sample ceremony scripts.
Mother Blessing Ceremony: In this ceremony, adapted from the Navajo Blessingway ritual, a group of women gather to honor the woman (or women) about to become a mother, either by birthing or adopting a child. They come to share their maternal experiences, express their love and friendship and offer a circle of support for her as she prepares for, and then enters, the state of motherhood. In contrast to a baby shower, the focus is on the mother(s) to be, not on gifts for the baby to come. (I think that Father Blessing ceremonies would also be a great idea.)
Baby/Child Welcoming Ceremonies: Whether your newdaughter or son is a tiny newborn or an older child, birthed by you or adopted, we can celebrate their life and their entrance into your home and heart with a lovely ceremony. In the case of a foreign adoption, we can weave elements of your culture(s) and the tradition from which your child comes in a way that symbolizes the blending your lives.
Entrustment Ceremonies: Appropriate for cases of open adoption, these ceremonies include both the birth mother or family and the adoptive family. They honor the child, the birth mother who is entrusting her child to another, and the adoptive parents who have opened their arms and heart to the child. Such ceremonies poignantly acknowledge a complexity of deep emotions, losses and gains, sadness and joy.
Birthdays: Let's not forget the birthdays! You can always celebrate your child's life and the joy that he or she brings you by a Happy Birthday celebration.
