Staring Contest

It is hard for me not to stare.  As a child growing up you are always taught not to stare at people as it is considered rude.  Funny, telling someone not to do something you are doing yourself is always the best policy for a parent.  It is in our nature to stare or admire visual items that catch our attention, both good and bad.   It is that feeling you get when you are walking down a street and a Ferrari simmers by, your jaw hits the ground as you admire the craftsmanship of one of the finest built automobiles in the world.  It’s okay to stare here. It is also that feeling you get when you see a parent discipline a child too harshly in the line at Wal Mart.  This brings the other emotion and causes you to stare just long enough not to step into action.  It’s not good to stare here.  

From the very first moments of Kaia’s birth, it’s been hard for me not to stare.  I am biased.  I am her father and will always think she is the most beautiful girl in the world, but since her birth, I have found myself starting at her in sheer awe.  Whether it was through the glass of the nursery, or standing over her cradle at night, I find myself staring at this little girl with inability to look away.  From the straight black hair on her head (and one little blond streak), to her perfectly formed toes, there is not an millimeter of this child that I have not admired.  Her lips are ones that would make Angelina Jolie jealous, and she is only 20 days old. (Better get a gun license)  She has features that I can only imagine will break many hearts in her lifetime, I just hope it’s not mine.  I may not be able to handle that fall from Grace.

I am amazed by those people who do not believe in God.  Whether you believe the Judeo – Christian God, or Ganesha from Eastern practices, the God figure is central to our belief structure.  At the heart of my personal faith I look at the creation story as more of an allegory than a play by play story.  The most crucial passage is the section in Genesis where god decides to make Adam.  The conversation between “God” is such an enlightening look at this deity.  The decision to create man in “our” image is more than that of just a physical approach; it is the ability to create something that can also create.  This make us unique amongst all living creatures.  Yes we are made in God’s image in so many ways.  On the seventh day God rested to take stock of all that he had made.  As Adam began to name all the trees in the Garden, I am sure God took a few moments to stare and admire his greatest passion of all of his creations.

When Kaia made her way into this world, that ability to create really hit home with me.  I was taken back in amazement of this creation.  Perfect in every aspect, yet fragile and dependant upon love.  ( Much like mankind.)  It amazed me beyond tears as I bathed in the radiance of the moment.  I could only imagine the moment that God breathed that first breath into Adam, just as Kaia took that first breath, you cant help but stare.

Maybe I will nickname her “Enzo”.