Ordinary Beauty

When I got home Sunday night from shamen school, “365 Goddesses” was laying there on the kitchen table.

During the course of the day, Elke had encouraged us to peruse her copy of of the book “365 Goddesses”, which presents each day of the year with a corresponding goddess. Of course, I flipped to July 7, which is the day that I plan to marry Perry. And here is what I read.

“Kamuhala Hime: A Japanese goddess of weaving, Kamuhata Hime braids the strands of fate to help out anyone seeking solid relationships. Through her careful, artistic eye, she binds devotion with love into a beautiful, strong tapestry between two committed people.”

This seemed a positive “sign” and I was curious what more there might be to know about Kamuhata Hime. On the way home, I’d called Perry from the road, asking him to Google “Kamuhata Hime” and just see what comes up. And so, when I got home, there awaiting me was the book that I’d been thumbing through just two hours before.

See, the thing is, well, the thing is the haiku above. There came a place in my and Perry’s relationship when we would concoct salient little haikus for each other; in the midst of these exchanges I mentally set aside the word, “inevitable”, a sweet set of 5 syllables. This also happens to be the word we had come to use to describe the possibility of our future together: inevitable. And then one day, the “inevitable” haiku arrived (and I had the presence of mind to write it down as it came)

my heart and your heart
twining our lives together
inevitable

And so it just seems to resonate, the haiku’s twine, Kamuhata Hime’s braid, that Perry would have this book, and have it at hand (in the midst of the house remodel), that it would be in Elke’s home and my home, that July 7 is Kamuhata Hime’s day–of binding devotion with love.

The book goes on to say, “If you are thinking of deepening your commitment to someone, tonight is an excellent time to recite your promises to each other beneath the stars. As you do, braid three strands of cloth or yarn, making a vow at each juncture. Keep this Kamuhata Hime amulet to protect the love and devotion in your relationship.”

There are so many reasons why people marry. A certain magical inevitablity is one of mine.