Cherishing

Motherhood is the most difficult and yet most rewarding lifework on this earth. Since conception, my sons have and continue to enrich, expand and enlighten my world. But as with any relationship, we never know what to expect until the relationship begins.

With my first pregnancy, I loaded up on books from the library so I’d know what to expect. Looking at the anatomical changes that took place in a woman’s body, I couldn’t imagine mine expanding like that. But of course by the time I was nine months pregnant, I gained twenty-five pounds and my belly had indeed stretched to accommodate the growing child inside me.

Fernand Lamaze, though never having experienced giving birth himself, introduced a method of breathing to help laboring women give birth naturally. My husband and I took the free classes offered at our local hospital.  

Having read and equipped myself with all the knowledge of what to expect during pregnancy and how to breath through all the stages of labor, I thought I was ready for anything. And mostly I was except for the change that took place with my heart. 

After the pain of labor subsides and you are holding that newborn in your arms there is an unseen and yet real transformation that takes place.

No one had warned me about this transformation, but suddenly, I knew something was different. I was now a mom and overcome with this very strong sense of wanting to defend, protect and guard my son. No one had ever told me that when you become a mother, you got a mother’s heart too. But that is what happened. 

That same intense emotion did not occur just once, but with each child I birthed. Despite the cutting of the umbilical cord there is no way to sever the love of a mother from their child. 

Of course there are stages in our child’s development when our love for them is easier than other times such as during their innocent years when you can read them bedtime stories, listen to their prayers and tuck them into bed with hugs and kisses that make them smile. 

Then there are times when they test our love for them such as those midnight feedings, potty training, tumultuous teen years, and the adult decisions they make that relocate them far from home and out of touch. 

But, no matter where they go, no matter how old they grow, no matter the decisions they make, I’m still their mother with a heart of love. 

Why Bother?

Why bother cherishing our offspring? My sons enriched, expanded and enlightened my world for a good reason; they’ve taught me how to love them. 

P.S.  I wrote the story of my journey to forgiveness for those who, like me, know they need to change, but are not quite sure where to start. You can find A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness at Redemption Press and Amazon.