Miracles, Motherhood, and Mysteries

Childbirth and Motherhood. One and the same and sometimes not. The miracle of conception is still a mystery…not in the how…but when you actually contemplate all that has to happen for that little life to nurture and grow…well…it is still a mystery that the female species has the ability to make something the size of a lima bean grow into a little human being.

The lima bean. At 8 weeks gestation, cells that have been growing and quadrupling for 8 weeks are now called a ‘fetus’. A living human being…with little feet forming, eyes, ears and the miracle of all miracles… a tiny pulse of a heartbeat now visible with all the modern technology of today.

This is a time of rejoicing.

Millions take this miracle of conception with a grain of salt. Millions become mothers/parents without even a second thought. Others… not so much. There are those who take the notion of motherhood/parenthood very seriously. Expectant mothers have a huge responsibility. They need to look after themselves as well as their little fetus growing inside. They are watchful…needing to listen to their bodies like they never have before.

Who gets to decide? Is it divine intervention that decides which fetus will make it to birth? Is it the fetus…who decides…that it will not be able to sustain itself over the nine months? Is it already in the ‘master plan’ of when, or who gets to enter the universe as a newborn? This, then, is the mystery. Yes, millions of females give birth everyday on this planet. But there are others who do not. Those are the mothers-to-be who have the added burden on their shoulders of attempting to understand …why them? It is not for us to question, but to patiently accept the purpose…not to say that you can’t scream and holler along the way…but at the end of the day… to quietly come to that moment of peace.


Small Wonders of the World.

“Be kind to the young…they might be looking after you one day.” I am not sure where that expression came from, but it has extreme significance in my life. These ‘little wonders’ who run screaming through your backyard, or accidentally throw a ball through your living room window, after all…are the innocent. Windows or yards to them are inanimate objects…of no particular significance. But when an adult interacts with these little wonders…they will remember this for the rest of their lives. And when a mother or father speaks to their newborn…the memory banks in their little brains will hold that sound forever…and remember. Yes…motherhood is miraculous…no matter what way you look at it.
L.L.