After the fourth, it begins.  But I’m moving in August, away from the heat of Southern CA. Maybe then I’ll figure out how this blog works. For now, I’m remembering this:

In the beginning, there was a vast, velvety darkness. Like the midnight sky, it stretched on forever. Yet it was alive and breathing, and you were a part of it. The darkness was so blue and deep, it became violet black. It flowed so long and so far, that endless night gave birth to time. And you were a part of that moment.

As time was born, there was light. It came in a blinding flash, and it was very, very bright. And you were a part of that light. One huge ball of fire blew up across the sky, breaking into hot pieces. The sparks were stars just like the sun. So the darkness was lit with fiery stars, flickering down through the night. And you were a part of them.

Tiny suns split off, grew bigger and fell into a whirling vortex. The shining balls cooled, mixed with gas, air, and water. They twirled around and around, creating a galaxy. And you were a part of that galaxy. One hot spinning piece broke away. That molten rock, seething with lava and pitted with craters, spun steaming through space. It tumbled down, gathering speed, and became a new planet. And you were a part of that earth.

As time stretched on, the little globe grew cooler. It covered with clouds that rained so long, volcanoes and craters flooded with water. A huge muddy soup covered the hardening earth. And you were a part of that sea. Small wet bits and pieces came alive, tiny cells filled with energy. And there was life; there were lungs, breathing, there was a heart, beating, there was a brain, thinking. And you were a part of that being.

An infant who knew skin, scent and breath, you were made from the stars, from all creation. As an infant, you knew without words but couldn’t talk. As the days passed, birth faded to memory. You were a child, a part of a family. You are still a part of the beginning that will go on forever. You are part of the night and the light, the sky and the ocean. Made of stardust, part of the galaxy, a piece of the first explosion; you are a child of the universe.  And this is your remembering.