My birthday - April 5 - is a double-day, because
I also gave birth to Max, here in this house, 19 years ago...

Max and I celebrated our mutual b-days over a huge boat-load
of beautiful sushi last night, with Robert, Michele, Sion and Danielle,
Iris and Marc--and also said our farewells to Ann, who is moving to
the Gulf coast of Florida. Ann has been a best-buddy since
1978 when we met in Llano Quemado, in Taos. We've been
through many years of laughter and tears, and Ann could always
make us laugh until we cried.

On that subject - This is the message for my birthday,
April 5, which I read every year in Open Mind...
It seems more appropriate this year than ever before....


Shechinah, I pray that Your spirit may pervade
those whose tears will not flow; that they may
experience the release of feeling that connects
us to each other, to the tradition of our ancestors,
to our progeny and to all humanity.
For the blessing of tears,
I thank God that I was born a woman.

--from The Women's Hagaddah


The Haggadah is the special text used for Passover that
includes the story of the Exodus. This prayer is one of
thanksgiving for women's ability to feel and to connect.
We pray that all people may feel this connection, and
know the oneness of all life.

Women's wisdom is the wisdom of connection, but the tears
that can easily flow from our eyes have been used against
us as proof that we are overly emotional, irrational, and
unrealistic. Yet it is this knowledge of connectedness
that is lacking in today's world. When our tears can freely
flow, when we can feel compassion for another's pain, abuse
will stop. As long as we feel separate and disconnected, we can
deny other people's humanity, cause harm to one another and
to the Earth.

The dharma, the law of interconnectedness and love, has the power
to break open the heart. Women have often come to me in tears
after hearing a dharma talk. I once thanked a woman for her tears.
She was quite surprised, never having thought of her tears as a gift.
She deeply received the thanks, and in so doing her heart opened
wider and she felt great joy.


Noah enjoyed his first birthday cake 10/14/02