Last night I had a dream that I had a baby boy named Aidan. I was at some kind of school reunion, but had to wait in a Catholic church because there wasn’t enough room at the school. The church was ornate, with lots of stained glass and deep-colored velvet pews, but it had a slightly decayed sense of age, and I noticed rot, mucus and crusty food on the pews when I looked closely. I was really taken with the boy, though, feeling very loving and protective of him. I didn’t feel threatened by my surroundings, but I sure wanted to get him out of there. People were walking around and I stopped to talk to a few of them, but I didn’t quite recognize anyone. Mostly I wanted to leave.

When I woke up, I first wondered if a baby was on the way (not necessarily from my womb). Then I started really thinking about the name Aidan. I thought I remembered that it had something to do with fire, and sure enough, it’s derived from the Irish Gaelic for “little fire.” So now I’m wondering what little fire might be coming into my life, and whether this might have been a gentle push from Brighid to start paying attention.

The situation with the school reunion, with the auditorium being full and having to wait in a crusty old church? I think that was probably reflective of how I feel about Parker. I don’t fit here and I definitely want to get out – and take my little fire with me.