Thoughts on Motherhood

Mother's Day was almost two weeks ago, but I have been thinking a lot lately about what motherhood has done to me.  I've read a lot of post-Mother's Day blog posts in which the authors were making peace with how they have changed since becoming mothers and I realized a few days ago that I am surprised and happy to find that I have no regrets about how becoming a mom has changed me.

My little force of nature has left no corner of my life untouched; nothing is the same as it was before her, but I am happy.  I honestly expected that having a little one would bring more confusion to the competing desires and dreams I have for myself that would be even harder to realize while being a good mother. 

Instead I find that I have more clarity about what is important to me.  I don't think that I have given up any dreams, in fact I have more, but at some point motherhood brought me the peace and patience I needed to take life day by day and wait to see how my dreams materialize.  What is most interesting to me is that some of the dreams that have seemed most impossible to me for a long time may become realities much sooner than I ever would have hoped. 

This doesn't mean that it has been easy.  I've sacrificed a lot for my daughter and I've lost a lot in the last two years.  Still, she is the best thing that ever happened to me, and even as I mourn some of my losses, I know that I would give up more for her if it were necessary. 

So here's to being thankful that God saw fit to make me a mother when I certainly didn't plan to be!  My life is so much richer for it.

Here's a recent picture of my beautiful little girl:

Better Late than Never

On Holy Saturday I wrote what I think was a beautiful post.  Unfortunately I was logged out of blogger sometime in the middle of writing it and so when I went to post it, it was gone.  Here's all that was left because I still think the comment that inspired my post is worth reading. 

This morning I read this and it led me to think differently about Holy Saturday than I have before.