The pinks, roses, violets, and oranges glowed in the East as the sun rose this morning. The rain clouds from the past few days broke just long enough to allow the orange glow to light up our apartment; the lingering rain showers loitered above our roof. The rainbow was sure to be there too, somewhere behind our building just out of view. Yet, we had our own rainbow sleeping in the crib just down the hall.
Watching Evelyn’s big blue eyes take in the shiny ornaments, twinkling white lights, and sparkling bows, she was too little to participate yet big enough to soak it all in. Molding her young mind, showing her all that we know so well but what is still fresh and new to her, we relish the grave responsibility to teach her how to live, enjoy, and flourish in this world.
Now, as the sun is going down behind the thick wall of darkened storm clouds, our little rainbow continues to glow. Showing us how to view Christmas through a new, untainted lens, Evelyn has brightened our day as much, or more so, than the early morning sun.
For those friends and acquaintances who also enjoyed this Christmas with their rainbow babies, may the light we witnessed this morning also shine brightly on you. For those who continue their struggle to hang onto their rainbow, my heart continues to break as we, too, intimately know how the sadness from a loss or from empty hopes can etch into our souls. As the brilliance from the sunrise and the iridescent glow of a rainbow cannot push away the storm, it can blend together to create a new kind of beauty.
Laura Gaddis 