The Beginning of Life
I was thinking about Tiff and I having a baby. It came up in the context of thinking about how to add contrast to the Living and Loving movie about my experience with my dad and his Alzheimer's. I thought it would be great contrast to have footage of Tiffany and me expanding our family unit of Love. And I thought the strength would be greatest if we begin getting footage now on our thoughts about having a baby. Documenting the hopes, anxieties, feelings, and other emotions and thoughts about the exciting prospect of bringing a baby to our life.
This made me think then that maybe the conception of life isn't when the sperm meets the egg and rather it's the concept of "we want a baby" that has actually brought this baby to life. We have opened ourselves to the possibility of a baby enterring our union. And that is the birth of the baby in some way for me. I have already begun having feelings for and about this baby so it exists. The possibility of it exists and the hope for it exists, so its physical existence is a matter of time and action. (I find it difficult to refrain from acknowledging the unintended pun of "action".)
Without ruminating on the legal definition of the start of life or really positing a view on abortion, I must acknowledge that as of this moment, FOR ME, I believe the life of this baby has already begun by openly accepting its eventual existence, which relies heavily if not entirely on our hope and faith in the health in all three of us.