Mommy Boot Camp

At the beginning of my pregnancy a friend of mine told me that pregnancy is mommy boot camp. So many times have I thought about that statement and I find myself once again today reflecting deeper on how true that is. To be a good mommy the most important aspect one should strive to possess is uniformity with God's will. Our children and our life are not our own. Everything and everyone belong to God. As a mommy God is entrusting me with the incredible task of helping Him form His children into the Saints he intends them to be. For 9 months pregnancy has been trying to prepare me to give up my ways and abandon to His ways and just recently did I really figure this out. The reason pregnancy is mommy boot camp is because it comes with many unexpected turns and opportunities to get in line with God's will not my own. In life we often have ideas about how we think things are supposed to go. The problem with that last sentence is the word "we" which really should be replaced with the word "God." It should read: In life God often (always) has ideas about how God thinks things are supposed to go. Our job is to discover His ways and abandon ourselves to them. I went into pregnancy with so many ideas about how I wanted things to go. I developed an elaborate birth plan about how I think my labor and delivery should go. There was a lot of "I" thinking. But over and over again God has given me opportunities to grow in trust of Him by having things be different than I planned them to be. I have a choice now, I can either kick and scream and be upset with God or I can say thank you because I know He knows what is best. My life belongs to him and so does the life of my precious daughter. I am thankful that my pregnancy has been what it has been because it truly is boot camp as I am learning more and more to be uniform with God's will. That uniformity will be the key to being the holy mother I pray I can be for our daughter.

Full Term

Our little Mary will be considered full term on Saturday and while it will likely be a few more weeks, she could safely come any day. At the last appointment the doctor could tell that I am already making progress towards delivery and the reality of her birth being so close put my nesting into overdrive. With the help of a wonderful friend, Mary's clothes, sheets, and blankets have all been washed and baby items assembled. Physically we are pretty much ready for her but what about spiritually? We have so much "stuff" for her but these material things aren't what will fulfill her or make her the little child of God she is meant to be. Even more than physical nesting, it is time for some spiritual nesting. As God moves parenthood into the next stage for Eric and I, we need to prepare ourselves to be the parents God wants us to be.  Starting Saturday when Mary is full term I am going to take time each day to make a holy hour with our Lord. During this time I am only going to allow myself a few minutes for prayers of petition asking for a healthy and safe delivery (might even push things a little and ask for an easy delivery since He is a God who likes to spoil us :). I am going to spend the majority of the hour just listening. I know that life won't be silent much once Mary comes so I am going to use this time now to just sit and listen to Our Lord and His Mother teach me how to be a holy mother. Please keep Eric and I in your prayers. This adventure of parenthood has already proven so sanctifying and I am certain that the next stage of parenthood to a little one on the outside has even more potential to help us grow in virtue and faith if we are docile to the ways God will form us and allow Mary to push us to grow.

"Speak Lord, your servant is listening"