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Wednesday, May 7

A Mother's Influence

I came across this incredible story today that shows the amazing instinct and influence we have as moms - especially with God at our side. You can read the full story here (which I'd highly recommend) but I'll provide the gist...

In 2012 a woman in Australia, Kate Ogg, gave birth to her twins at 27 weeks gestation. She and her husband, David, were told "we're sorry, but we couldn't save your son Jamie".  The nurses handed over the dead baby to the Kate.  She instantly held him to her chest and began stroking him and talking to him.  She told him how much they wanted to know him, what his name was, that his sister was doing just fine.  About 5 minutes after first holding him, Jamie started having tiny movements and making gasping sounds.  She and David were told by the doctors to not get their hopes up, that it was just reflexes and part of the body shutting down.  These movements continued and eventually his eyes even opened.  After two hours, the movements were stronger and they finally let themselves hope.  They knew these were things that a dead baby couldn't  or wouldn't do.  The doctor wouldn't even come back into the room, insisting that there was no way he could be alive.  Finally, David told the nurse that they had come to terms with Jamie's death and asked that the doctor could come back in to explain it to them. (dummy doctor).  When the doctor came back in he realized that what they were saying was true.  This baby was alive!  He is 2 now.  What a miracle!!

Shortly after we lost our twins, my Father-in-law shared a quote with my husband that talked about the amazing influence mothers have on their children even from the time they are in the womb. It was so touching and exactly what I needed to hear.  (I'm working on digging up the exact wording and reference so I don't slaughter it.)  The reality is that as women, we have been entrusted with God's most prize possession, his children, to love, nurture, and enjoy.  I think we often underestimate the influence we can have on the children in our lives for good or for bad.  We sometimes forget how much good we can do by loving them.  We all play a role in nurturing His children and helping them grow into all that our Heavenly Father knows they can be.  We want the children in our lives to have amazing opportunities, to grow into the people that really magnify the strength of their spirits.  We also know they aren't going to be perfect.  We know that making mistakes will be part of their journey and will help mold them into the best person they can ultimately be.  We plan on cutting them some slack.  Don't we?  I know I do.  So, what do you say we remember the same thing for us? I often feel like I need to be a SUPER woman.  I look around me and see all of the amazing things that the women in my neighborhood and family do and then I feel like I need to step up my game.  What I should do is smile and say "good for them" and then turn my attention back to my sweet little family and focus on what's best for them.  That's where the real satisfaction and assurance that I'm doing the right thing comes.  Our children don't need us to be Super Woman.  They need us to be their mom.  They need us to listen to them, to hold the bucket while they puke, to read them stories, to laugh at their made-up knock-knock jokes, to let them help make cookies, to play dress up with them.  Not much compares to the feeling I had the other day when my daughter came in out of the blue, put her arms around my waist and said, "I just love you".  Those are the moments that make all the sleepless nights and mountains of laundry more than worth it.

I am so amazingly grateful for the opportunity I have to be a mom. It's all I've really ever wanted to be.  I am so blessed to call these sweet faces mine and can't imagine life without them (even in my moments of weakness when I want to kick their butts)!  I am also so thankful for my mom and my husband's mom, and their moms.  I don't know where I'd be without all the amazing women in my life.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

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