Trials And Triumphs
“Nothing says ‘new mom’ like a baby in a dry-clean only sweater.” ~ Jennifer Fujita
It’s Mother’s Day! This is the day when we set aside some extra, quality time to sing the praises of our mothers and to treat them for all that they do and all that they are.
But when we celebrate Mother’s Day, we generally celebrate the “finished product” so to speak. We think about our tried-and-true moms, about people who have been mothering for a long time, and even about grandmothers. However, they were not always what they are now.
We all have to begin somewhere, We are not always finished products. I remember meeting many a woman preparing to become a mother and many women who were brand new mothers. Especially if it were their first child, there was generally an aura of cluelessness about them.
They didn’t know what to expect. They didn’t know how they might cope. They didn’t know what their new child might do to the relationship with their husbands or family or friends. They didn’t know how or how much they might be changed.
When I was working my way through college, I was an orderly at St. Anthony Hospital in Crown Point. I generally floated to a few different units, depending upon who might be in need of extra staff. I found myself often on the surgical floor, in the coronary unit, the Emergency Room, and, believe it or not, labor and delivery as well as the nursery.
I met many a brand new mother. Just teaching some of the basic steps as to how to hold a baby, how to feed a baby, and how to change a baby, were all brand new tasks to some and they found themselves over their heads. Dealing with some mothers who brought their babies in because they were croupy or were not sleeping well was another opportunity to see some people in over their heads.
But that didn’t last long. They learned what they needed. They found the wherewithal deep within. They realized that a lot of what they needed was innate and that they would discover it as the need arose.
Motherhood is not always the finished product. Motherhood is about planning, hoping, longing, searching, dreaming, loving, and accepting. As long as the heart of the mother remains open, God will supply all that is needed. Happy Mother’s Day to all who are privileged to watch over and raise others!
FAITH ACTION: Pray for all mothers today.