Thirty one years ago today at 6:02 p.m., our first child was born. A son. During the week and a half before I had two false labors. But ten days after the predicted due date, we had our baby. I was nervous and I wanted to be the best mother I could be. I had very little exposure to babies and knew very little about their care and how to raise a child. The nurse and other mothers in prenatal assured me that all the maternal instincts would kick in when I held the baby in my arms. I wasn’t so sure. I watched the birth in the mirror and then our son was laid on my stomach, followed by being taken away to be washed, weighed, wrapped in a blue striped blanket and then placed in my arms. He was so small. Seven pounds 2 ounces covering 22 inches made for a tiny, frail looking little boy. He had those dreamy dark eyes and, of course, we were in love. I wanted to be the best mother. Those first few weeks were quite a challenge and I made many calls to Dr.Ras. I had told him while I was pregnant that I didn’t have much experience with babies. After several calls and visits during the first two weeks, he looked at me and said “You really don’t know much about babies.” He was a great doctor. At that time not every doctor delivered their own babies, but he did. He was very much in love with delivering babies and didn’t mind being called in the middle of the night. That wasn’t the case with Andrew but Allyson got him out of bed and nearly arrived before Dr. Ras did. He loved his job and was the perfect doctor for me with his tons of compassion. As flowers, gifts, food and many good wishes flooded in from all over the country, I was stunned by the affect this one small boy made in so many lives. He was our boy and we loved him and that has not changed.
This past week the day set aside for Assumption of Mary was celebrated. My dear dear friend blogged on this topic and I was very touched by her talking of how Mary points us to Jesus. From all the pictures we see of Mary and the Babe, we feel the love and compassion she has for her child. Jesus was so loved by His mother. How can a mother not love her son? Now don’t get me wrong, I can get irritated but the love doesn’t change.
In 1991, we took our kids on an after Christmas holiday. We were living close to family so had celebrated the holiday with them and decided to get away for a few days prior to school resuming. There was another reason for the trip. I had something I wanted to tell the kids. We got checked into our hotel and went to dinner. I tried to talk to them, but the timing was off. When we returned to our room, I began again. The kids were sitting on the beds with television controls in hand. I asked them to listen to me for a few minutes and they turned their faces towards me. I said I wanted to tell them something important. I told them I had been married before I married their dad. I told them I wanted them to hear from me and not someone else. Their reply, “Can we rent a movie?” I knew from books I had read that kids took information and processed it in their own time and own way. So I didn’t push for any further attention from them. As our son and I walked back from getting the video (this was the time before movies were all ready on your TV), he asked me, “Did Nanny still love you?” I replied, “Yes, she did”. He looked up at me and said “How could anyone not love you?” My eyes watered and tears ran down my cheeks as we continued to our room.
The kids sat on the bed and watched the movie and I recounted to Dale the conversation Andrew had with me. It had a huge impact on me. The conversation has come to mind many times over the past 22 years. It still brings tears.
I believe Jesus had this kind of love for Mary and I believe He has that same love for me. Unconditional love that surpasses anything I have done or ever will do. The great news is….Jesus’ love is for all people. He has enough for everyone and then some.
I believe our children can teach us much about Jesus. I believe we need to teach our children about Jesus. Mary points us to Jesus. She knew He was the one to be worshipped and that He was the one people needed. It hasn’t changed. People need Jesus.
As I wrote earlier in this post I was amazed at the affect this little boy had on so many people, but it is not nearly as amazing as the affect Jesus has had on my life.
Thank you son, for being an amazing blessing in my life and thank you, The Son of God for giving me my son.
Love and blessings, Joanie