What does motherhood mean to me?
What it means to me is much different than what I thought it would mean when I got married 6 years ago.
You meet the love of your life, you get married and then you have kids, right?
For 1 in 8 couples, it doesn’t work that way.
You see, motherhood is different for me because, right now, I am not yet a mom.
Instead I am a mom in the making.
Motherhood. Oh, motherhood. How can motherhood be summed up in just one short blog post?
There are so many adjectives out there that I could slap onto my journey of motherhood. These adjectives span the whole spectrum from deep elation and heart-bursting pride, to painful weeping and deep worry over the future.
But if I had to pick one, just one word to describe my journey in motherhood, it would be sanctifying. From the deep joy of watching my daughter take her first steps, to the excruciating tears I cried when we said goodbye to our foster daughter, motherhood has been the process that has drawn me closer to Christ.
By grace it’s made me more like Him.
I never expected to be a mother.
At first, it just wasn’t on my radar. My husband and I married at nineteen. We were in the middle of our college degrees and between our schooling, careers, church ministries, and building our newlywed life, the thought of becoming pregnant would send my mind into a panic.
Fast forward two years and I had the baby fever and I had it bad!
We graduated from college, moved out of our {awful} double-wide trailer and into a little blue house in the country. Life settled into a more predictable rhythm. It was time. It was time to add that tiny human to our family. And so with much excitement and anticipation for our future, we started “trying”.
What does motherhood mean to me?
Motherhood is one of the greatest gifts. I know this may seem like a Hallmark answer, but this is the very first word that comes to my mind. Becoming a parent is one of life’s richest blessings.
Last year my dear friend Tiana shared her story. The words you will read below are her own. They are words I cherish now more than ever, as she made her home in heaven last week.
On November 30, 2017, after her breast cancer aggressively returned, she passed away. It was not without a fight and her journey remained full of faith.
She is loved. She is missed. And through the pain of her earthly absence, we will rejoice in the beauty and strength of the angel we have gained.