From the moment we see the signs, and receive the confirming news of that new life inside our womb, our maternal instinct kicks into overdrive - the desire to nurture and love this sacred gift inside our bodies and hearts, and all the accompanying fears and unknowns converging on us... We go through the pregnant period of waiting, sometimes shorter and sometimes longer, growing an intimate connection with the child we have been entrusted with - talking to our baby, fighting through the ups and downs of adjusting to the outside world. Difficult or easy, naturally and adoptively, we learn to allow our hearts to expand and make room for this newest member of creation. As each child grows and develops, we begin to realize our desire to protect and nurture and love them with all our heart and soul. As that child grows, experiences the world, and launches forth into a universe of possibilities, we each begin to realize over time that we'll never be able to protect our sons and daughters from everything the world will throw at them.Yet, we can teach them how to pilgrimage through life's ups and downs and how to process the goods and the evils of the world by living a life pregnant with their Creator's divine life and friendship and companionship: a life surrounded in Grace. In the end, we are all just walking each other in this direction. Care to walk together?
