I'm going to post two of my poems and I will ask permission from a friend to publish her poem for Lucy's Baptism, a sacramental Baptism that took place on June 19th, 2021, at the confluence of Bear Creek and the Middle Fork of the Flathead River in Flathead County, Montana.
Welcome to the Family. A Baptismal Poem
for Lucy Maria Margaret
Little One
Beautiful Lucy Maria Margaret,
Daughter of Jeremy and Carolan,
Feel the waters of Bear Creek and the great Middle Fork,
Waters that flow down from the Top of the World,
Montana's Continental Divide.
Waters so clean, cold, so pure,
Flowing over the red and green argyllite,
Mix of glacier and snow melt,
Spring and early summer rains
To bless you, to bless us all,
To anoint you,
To anoint us all,
To welcome you to this strange and wonderful family!
Welcome Baby Lucy Maria Margaret,
Child of Original Goodness and Grace,
And Light!
Your name means "light"
Which you will bring forth as a Gift
To a world so in need of Love and Light.
Welcome to your family,
To this Beloved Community,
Which already loves you
To the tops of the highest mountains.
[Grampa Bob Coughlin / Summer Solstice 2021]
The Spirit of Montana on Lucy's Baptismal Day
The Montana winds
Blow down from the Continental Divide
Like the Breath of God
The Light and Truth of the Holy Spirit.
Infuse, inspire Lucy, this baby,
Her parents, family, and friends
With the holy fire and breath
Of the Spirit of Goodness, Kindness, and
[Grampa Bob Coughlin / Summer Solstice 2021].
Below: A Poem by my old friend, Kathleen Prudence, who was one
of my Orchard Street neighbors in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine.
I shared the Baptism story and photos with Kathleen--and she
wrote this poem!
Lucy
Lucy Maria Margaret
Your parents have given you this name,
Called by the Spirit’s breath in the wild wind
And in the gentle breath of meadow breeze,
The winds of storm and stillness.
Lucy for “Light”.
Light of the sun’s reflection off the snowy mountain caps.
Light of the stars sparkling in the deep, dark night sky.
Light of the glimmer of love shining from your family’s eyes.
We dedicate you to our Creator, who imagined you before time began.
We welcome you with water and salt.
So as a member of the Beloved Community
You will live as fiercely as the water which flows down with justice,
Filling all you encounter with the spice of joy, excitement, and love.
We cross you with the sign of
The Father, Son,and Holy Spirit,
So that any stones or chasms along your journey,
Will be transformed into Blessings as sweet as honey.
We do not know you, dear Lucy,
And we may never meet,
But know that you have a guardian soul sister
In this huge universe
That welcomes you under the shelter of God’s wing.
[Kathleen Prudence, June 2021]
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