The Blessingway Quilt

I wasn't actually sure baby and me would make it to our own blessingway on Saturday but somehow we did, and she still seems to feel comfortable enough  to stick around for another few days. Which is great because it gives me time to finish the very last bits and pieces. 

Since I read about a blessingway for the first time, I think it was over at Soulemamas, I so strongly wanted to give one myself, but as it happend I was the next one to get pregnant. So I was very, very happy to find out my girlfriends liked the idea too and made me have one, just the way we felt it suited us (not too much of the esotericism please). We got most of our inspiration from this wonderful book.

Attending my own blessingway was such a treat; I am still feeling so warm and loved just thinking about it. I didn't take any pictures of it though, it just didn't feel right, so words will have to do:

We met Saturday night, me and six of my closest girlfriends. After getting comfortable with tea, music, candles and oil (Every woman had brought one of those items) my friends started by introducing themselfs with the story of how they met me. And even though most of them knew eachother before some had not heared those stories yet and it was more then sweet to revisit those moments again and value friendship in such a way. We contiuned with sharing our own story of birth, of what our mums told us about it and those of us who had given birth already shared those stories too. Of course we didn't always focus 100% on the schedule so at one point we ended up talking about cars... but it just felt good anyway.

We talked about my fears and hopes for this birth, for Aarons sister, about family and friendship matters and just felt it all grow stronger. We each wrote a short letter to the unborn baby to give to her when it is time, maybe when she will turn 18? 

To make me feel supoorted and strong during the birth I recieved a bead for a bracelet from everyone which I will wear from now on and I also gave a small bracelet to each of my girlfriends to wear until they have seen the baby for the first time (or longer of course). It is so fascinating to see how such small   things can become so full of meaning and value if you give it the right moment, love and attention.

I also got pampered with a lovely foot massage and during that treat, one of the girls read a meditativ story she had written exclusively for this night.
In the end all my friends put their hands on my belly and spoke blessings, prayers and sweet words. 

While we talked on and off I continued to sew the last stitches on my baby quilt binding (that I started last summer right after I found out I was pregnant) and what better time could there have been to finally finish it? I can't stop myself from staring at it, I am so in love with it. Of course I will always call it the Blessingway Quilt.

It is time to give birth now...