My own children are beautiful adults with spouses and grown babies of their own. Our oldest grandson just passed the bar exam and is starting his career as an attorney this summer, our youngest grand is getting ready to begin her sophomore year in college. What a joy, then, to have been gifted with my bonus daughter, Amanda, who is in the early years of being a mom. I’m just finishing three weeks with Amanda and her husband Jarrett, honored to be acting as helper and extra gramma as they’ve just brought home their second child.
I had the great fun of staying with two-year-old Jamie while his mama and daddy went to the hospital to get the baby, (They barely made it, just 20 minutes to spare before he was born!) and then being here to help with laundry and rocking and whatever else I could do. Baby Cole (His middle name is Coulson, an honor of such richness, I can’t quite describe) has been a treat to get to know, and of course, any time spent with Amanda is precious to me. So, three weeks have flown by and while I’ll be happy to be going back home to Karl, a little piece of my heart will remain here with this family I’ve been so blessed to be folded into.
I remember the unbridled joy and complete panic I felt as a new mom, and I watch Amanda wrestle with those same feelings and fears. She’s tired now – from 2 am feedings (and midnight and 4 am, well, yes, every two hours around the clock!), but beyond that, she realizes that motherhood and the worry and love, is forever. It doesn’t stop when they trudge off to school, or when they graduate high school or even when they are adults with children of their own. The stages of motherhood change as the years pass, but the essence remains the same.
If there’s one piece of advice I want to leave with Amanda it is this: Your children were God’s first, and while the feeding and bathing and diapering fall to you, God will continue to nurture your children’s souls as He holds them in His arms. Your job, Dear Girl, is to fight on your knees each day for your children. And then, rest easy, for the battle is His.
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