She-Who-Brings-Light

Today, is my only child’s 25th birthday. BUT I AM NOT OLD, haha

Photo by Heather Clement

She is doing well in her life — smart, funny, loving, interested in history. No one makes me giggle like she does, & everyone who knows us can just tell when we are talking to each other on the phone. She’s pretty too, though I’m never really sure what color her hair will be the next time I see her. She is, naturally, getting more mature with each year, & I think kinder too. Plus, she’s getting wiser: Increasingly, she understands just how cool I am!! Oh, & even though she is challenged by fibromyalgia, she remains cheerful & plucky.

No one was around this morning at 3:06am, when we were talking in our homes 300 miles apart. Strange time of day, you say? Well, she was born at that time, after a long, very l o   n   g labor. And after she went away to live in the dorms at 18, we began a Tradition. We try to be the one who wakes the other one up at 3:06am, to extend or receive the birthday wishes. And annoy the other:) She often gets to it before I do, but not always — thank the Goddess for cell phone alarms! heh heh heh.

I was nearly 30, when Luca was born, & had never really assumed I would have kids. Her dad & I were going back & forth about The Name, as new parents do; we were leaning toward Pax, when I had a dream.

This being of light, with no gender, no age, no body, came & said: “I want to be called Luca.”

To which, I — well, what else could I do? — said “Yes!” Subsequently, I found that it is usually a boy’s name, in Italy & eastern Europe, & means: “Bringer of Light”. Think translucent, lucid, lux. It took awhile to find a middle name that went with Luca & my last name, but Dawn (another powerful association with light) seemed to fit. Luca is an unusual name, & lends itself to some fun nicknames: Luca Bazooka, Lucky (soccer team). My very favorite though came from my grandpa: When he asked what her name was, I said, “Luca, grandpa.” He didn’t hear well, & responded: “Spooka?!?” So, ‘Spook’ has followed her all her life, & is really fun when I’m meeting a new boyfriend.

As a little girl, she loved hearing me tell this story, & asked what this ‘being of light’ looked like — a star!

Luca Dawn, my dream star — Happy Birthday, baby! Thanks for coming through me for this lifetime.