They say it takes a village to raise a child
Hand over hand
Foot over foot
Children grow into human beings, human doings
They become whole.
The villagers, old and young, grasp miniature fingers and toes
Guiding them into the abyss of the world.
They say it takes a village to raise a child
A teenager, how much more so.
It takes hours and hours of words, of actions
To demonstrate love
To prove worth
To cultivate the arid soil of the soul.
To move from angst to joy, from twigs to branches.
They say it takes a village to raise a child.
Each villager has a role,
A role not yet revealed
But together, their village, creates a network of trees, hammocks, safety nets,
Ready to catch her when she falls,
Ready to love him when he fails,
Ready to water, feed, and grow, a soul.
A village is a patchwork quilt of hands and hearts ready to love
Ready to bring new life–
Budding into flowers into the world,
Moving from the infancy of thoughts and actions
into the soaring wings of presence,
Raising the next generation of villagers, spreading out across landscapes,
Weaving new hands, and hearts, into the glowing fabric of the universe.
Creating the next village, to raise the next child of God.
Rabbi Bailey Romano 