The day I was born
Thrust from the warmth of the womb
Into the cold world
You held me in your arms
And gave me the milk of life
When I met with a group of high schoolers and their parents in Japan I was told by some that they found it hard to live in a world that they didn't ask to be in. I find it helps me and others to turn our thoughts away from our obsessive self-centered, self-pitying world to the reality of how we are here only because of the unbelievable love and sacrifice of others. So even on my birthday when my tendency is to think "it's all about me," I recognize with immense gratitude the person who carried me, birthed me, nursed me, and cared for me. It's her birthday as well as my birthday. It's our birthday.