"We clasp the hands of those that go before us,
And the hands of those who come after us.
We enter the little circle of each other's arms
And the larger circle of lovers,
Whose hands are joined in a dance . . ."

This is the poem by Wendell Berry which inspired me to choose this blog's name. I've been meaning to post about it for a while, and I thought I deserved a little break after spending about 3 hours trying to figure out which health insurance options make the most sense for me at this point (!).

So I love the image in this poem of little circles (families) within the larger circle (community). Connecting people and families to community has been a huge part of my life's work so far, and I see birth work as a continuation of that theme. We need to be together to learn and grow. Birth happens best when it is well prepared for and well supported (that can mean different things for different people - the support of friends and family who encourage a couple seeking an unassisted birth all the way through compassionate care for a high-risk pregnancy by excellent perinatology teams).

And someday, I'd like to be able to provide parenting education and support for home/unschooling families, as well. But I'm starting with birth!

I admit, though, that "Larger Circle" also seems like a kind of neat name for a birth work blog because of cervical dilation! You want the largest circle possible when that baby's coming out!