Posts Tagged ‘motherhood unseen’
A New Decade Dawns: Celebrating a Child’s Birthday with the Weight of the World
The house is quiet, except for the clothes thumping in the dryer. Everyone is sleeping as we approach the midnight hour. The decorations are up. The friend party has been celebrated, and the family party is next. Cakes are ordered, recipes are chosen, groceries are purchased, gifts are wrapped. In another half hour, our son…
Read MoreGrandmothers, Saints, and Group Chats: The Women Who Mother Us Through Motherhood
As a disciple of Jesus and a mother, I am surrounded by a cloud of biblical witnesses who, as mothers like me, lead me to the author and perfecter of faith (cf Hebrews 12:1). An undertaking as momentous as motherhood must be a team sport. Not only is the necessity of community and connection for…
Read MoreDear Neighbor: I Know You Don’t Want Me Here
The leaves fell from the sentinel-like silver maple trees that lined our streets. What were they guarding exactly? I’m not sure. But I loved them the second I saw them. November arrived, and with it, the promise of snow. Everyone retreated inside their homes while we, the new kids on the block, looked out the…
Read MoreLitany for a Mother with Intrusive Thoughts
O Infinite Father, you hold together all things by your word. You are creator of all the living and uphold them in your hand. By your very breath you sustain; You carry humanity. It is a holy and heavy task you have granted me— to care for and raise your littlest and most vulnerable ones, my…
Read MoreMarrow: The Memory in Our Bones
My mother is almost 80 years old. She still remembers her brothers. One dear child she held in her arms. She remembered his face. A beautiful child. He died at three weeks, and though she doesn’t remember why, I suspect it may have been the holes in the shack in which they all lived, an…
Read MoreA Prayer for Breastfeeding Struggles
God, this was supposed to be easy But it’s beyond hard. Everything hurts. We’re both weeping, this baby and me. We’ve tried everything, asked for help, begged and hoped and prayed. But each day gets harder, and my worries grow bigger. Help me to put us both in Your loving hands, To trust that You…
Read MoreA Prayer for the Mental Load of Motherhood
God—Perfect Parent, I carry my children—body, mind, heart, emotion, and mind. I carry the privilege of loving them well. I carry the burden of leading them well. When the mental load is tremendous, keep me from trembling. When the fears are many, calm my body systems. When the confusion is heavy, illuminate the next step.…
Read MoreMothers, Daughters, and Their Stories of Courage
I rise before the sun each day, before anyone else in the house wakes. I pour the first cup of hot coffee and grab a blanket to greet the morning on the porch. Beside me lie my Bible, pen and journal, and whatever devotional or book of poetry I’m reading. My spirit is soothed by…
Read MoreAm I Doing This Right? Crosses, Questions, and Awe in Creation
“What’s that?” my 5-year-old asks, pointing to a ceramic cross above the bedroom door at my parents’ house as I lie down next to him to help him fall asleep. “It’s a cross,” I reply matter-of-factly, with a pang of guilt that I apparently haven’t done a good enough job at catechizing my child for…
Read MoreA Prayer for the Mess of Motherhood
Creator God, Who gave life to dear ones, Who knows the deep pride and frustration that commingle in the heart of a parent, Who breathed life into dust, Who feels the sting of disappointment in your children. Pour out grace on my family. Grant me perspective to see the world from two feet high, From…
Read MoreToo Big to Be Told: Parenting Young Adults
Even when they were small, I was nervous that time would march relentlessly on and I would find myself where I am today: my kids ready to fly the coop and me, unready. This April, a tall, sincere, young man asked for my daughter’s hand. My social media went frenzied, and everyone asked how I…
Read MoreStill, Slow, Stoke, Save My Anger
Still my anger, Lord over milk spilled toothpaste wasted urine everywhere but the toilet Slow my anger, Lord when I am constantly interrupted my plans are thwarted my children misbehave and I feel embarrassed when I go without sleep without food without a moment of quiet Stoke my anger, Lord when children go without food,…
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