Sunday, 02/07/16: 35 weeks six
days
I began packing the
bags for the hospital this weekend. Bit
by bit things are coming together and I’m feeling more and more mentally ready
for baby’s big debut. Well, as ready as
I’ll ever be I suppose! As time starts winding down, I'm noticing that not only physically am I slowing down but mentally too....a quiet confidence and peace has replaced the nerves as of late. Hopefully this assurance that everything will unfold the way it is meant to and God will in fact provide for all our needs and baby will be fine will stay with me all the way through the delivery!
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| This photo showed up in my memories from two years ago when friends and I drove to Charlotte for a memorable talk and message. What a great reminder it was for me today in a different state (literally and figuratively)!! |
Another exciting
event this weekend was that we spent two hours on Sunday morning, after church,
meeting with our doula at a local coffeehouse.
I felt so much more at ease after the conversation knowing we will have
Sara as our advocate and support during this new experience for both Adam and
me. We even scheduled our one-on-one
three hour crash course in the Bradley Birthing Method with her for Valentine’s
Weekend. She will come to our house and
we will work in the basement with her to learn some techniques and other
helpful information regarding the stages of labor. There is so much more to all of this than I
realized and I’m amazed at how very little we know.
We’re grateful for the support and time Sara will invest in us to help
put our (my) worries and anxieties at bay.
Speaking of which, two
years ago today, when worrying about the future and my upcoming job interview
that would be held at my current job at the end of February, some friends and I
drove to Charlotte to hear Jeff Cavins talk at St. Mark’s Catholic Church. I remember being struck by this sign in the
gift shop and wish so badly now that I had purchased it at the time. When I saw this sign again today, I searched for one like it on Amazon, Etsy, and elsewhere online but the $35 price tag on the one I fell in love with on Etsy was a bit too steep for me. Maybe someday I will try to make one myself. I would love to have this sign hanging in our
home. Maybe I can try to paint it and
make my own version of it somehow?!
Anyhow, this image showed up on my newsfeed on Facebook as having
happened two years ago today. I remember
this trip with Marci, Lynn, and Chris so well.
We also met up with Kevin and Kelly there and enjoyed the talk and
fellowship as we learned from Jeff Cavins’ speech. I miss that fellowship and my friends in NC
so much!! I remember getting in late
that night and talking with Adam on Skype for just a short while due to being
so tired from a long day at work followed by the pilgrimage to Charlotte and
just the emotional rollercoaster that semester was of successfully defending
the dissertation to earn the PhD, job hunting, and managing a long distance
relationship. Then, seeing that sign
that reminded me to just stop and be still…to center myself amidst the noise
and to just be silent so I can try to discern what it is God is calling me to
do and where He is leading me. This is
not unlike what’s happening now two years later…amidst the noise of teaching, meetings,
prepping for baby, and everyday living…it’s easy to get swallowed up in the
worries and hectic daily bustle of life but I need to continue to remember to
just be still and know that God is in control.
He will provide for not only Adam, the pups, and me but more importantly
for our baby...and thank God for that!! He will guide us as
parents. He will guide us through the
birthing process. He is all knowing and
knows the plans for us, including this new precious life, as I was reminded during yesterday morning’s Magnificat
with my friends, Maria and Marita. This morning
spent in Cranberry Twp. was a much needed retreat like experience and I’m so
grateful to have had the opportunity to hear from the talented speaker, LisaMladinich, and Fr. Tom the reminders that God knows what is best for us…that
even from seemingly unnecessary suffering that everything has a purpose and we
can make differences in the lives of others even in the smallest of ways.
Then, this morning, during the homily at mass…I was reminded that like Isaiah, we are called to reflect God to others..even if He is pushing us beyond our comfort zones to interact with others we may not necessarily want to interact with or to do something we may not exactly choose to do of our own accord. We still need to get out of bed each day and do that which is called of us to do. Help me Lord, to embrace this new vocation of motherhood all the more to be the best version of myself I can be not only to this child Adam and I created through your grace whom I will soon hold in my arms but to all the spiritual children I minister to through my teaching, volunteering, being an Aunt to, and others I come into contact with and help all of us to embrace our callings a bit more so that we can shine even brighter as witnesses to your life changing and life giving love.
