Sunshine on a Saturday

Seems like a theme- sunshine has graced several Saturdays recently! I have spent the day visiting, resting, tidying and cleaning, studying and memorizing. The studying and memorizing part is both a joy and a difficulty- I have not had to study for memory fro quite some time! Most of my learning over the last number of years has been, thankfully, hands on experiential practice! I learn well that way, as do most, I think- and some more than others! But my Lamaze text sits on the table, all 700+ pages, awaiting my eager perusal, my interest and my memory. Have I mentioned what a hit my memory has taken since chemo? I am, to be honest, more than a little concerned about that! My memory for details is not nearly as clear and I forget some really strange and irritatingly important things! But I am going to trust that the information I need to glean from this fascinating reading will stick with me because it so influences my practice as a doula and child birth educator. The purpose of the study guide is to prepare me for all things Lamaze when I take the exam to become certified as a child birth educator in April. Funny thing is, I have been teaching for 9 years already, just not as someone certified. While I was sick, I put some goals into place, this being one. As I am sure you may have figured, I have a passion for women to have a powerful birth experience, one where they join all the women who have ever given birth, on the journey to motherhood. It is a sisterhood that is not so secret, but is very powerful and very inclusive. It is a journey that is so short and so long all at once. In this journey, women have so many shared experiences, but also so many unique and personal ones. I want to help them find the power in that, that power within themselves to make that journey and to know their own strength.
Tonight, I will write another birth story. I write a birth story for every baby's mommy I support through birth. It is written from my perspective, a story written just for that baby about it's very own birth. I take delight in recounting the mystery and glory of the birth, the strength of their momma, the beauty of their parents' relationship. I know that each child will find details in the story that their own mother may not have had due to it being in my perspective- and I love to share it! Tonight, I will write the story of Isaiah. The boys born recently are Isaiah and Levi. I know that God delights in these babies, that He has given them life because He alone is the Creator of Life. I know too that their mothers have participated in Lifegiving, that mystery that women alone have the glory of sharing in. And once again, I am thankful!