I have 6 friends currently who are pregnant! If I didn’t know better I’d say it was in the
water, so drink carefully – or chug if you’re trying! They will all make beautiful mommies, some of
them already are. I rejoice with them,
and can’t wait to hold their baby girls and boys, some will even refer to me as
Auntie Shay and nothing warms my heart more!
But in the mix of that, I have been pondering the thought “above all
else be humble”. Motherhood is full of
trials and sickness, joy and pain, tears and laughter. Pregnancy is the same, lots of unknowns,
first kicks, discomfort and happiness.
How many times have you heard a mom say, “as long as he/she is healthy
it doesn’t matter”? And often time
people smile and completely agree. But
sometimes I want to ask, “what if they aren’t, would you feel
differently?” The answer is no. You wouldn’t.
You would hold them, love them and if anything fight harder for
them. Speaking from experience I had a
great pregnancy, and a very unexpected emergency cesarean section with a
precious little boy in the NICU. Doctors
still to this day have no explanation.
“Above all else be humble.” I had
the pleasure of talking to a mom the other day adopting a little boy with known
disabilities. I was in awe of her, my
heart full of pure admiration for a lady I don’t know, taking in a child with
known needs that would consume her time, cause her heart to ache on certain
days, and she was ecstatic and full of joy.
May we all learn from her! The family
was researching and asking questions regarding therapy and future medical needs
which caused our paths crossed. Excitement
filled her voice, and in that moment I saw raw unconditional love. I know the struggle of therapy after therapy,
appointment after appointment … and that day I thought, “above all else be
humble.” I am often humbled by my son, he
is amazing, has defied odds doctors thought he wouldn’t and to many he is a
regular happy toddler. While I am
extremely happy for all those I love and moms I don’t even know, this is an
honest reminder that moms who were just like you, excited, invincible, and on
top of the world, look at you when you say “as long as he/she is healthy” … and
wish you to never know the heartache it feels to have them not be, or the
burden they carry from loss of a child and for some the ache for a child they
are unable to ever have. We look at you
and smile through pain that you don’t know exists, expecting nothing from you, as
we would never want to take away from the joy you are feeling or wish you ill. And for that reason alone may we all remember
to “above all else be humble" because we have no idea what another person has been through.