This is part of what Liz, my cousin who gave the Mother Shower for me, wrote in her letter to me for the mother shower-- I hope she doesn't mind me sharing it!
"Did you know that you lived in your grandmother? The ovum in your mother's body, which ultimately became you, was formed and waiting inside your mother as she grew in her mother's womb. And Baby Bird's eggs, which may someday become her own children, lie in wait inside her, inside you, at this very moment. You carry generations within you! No other time in life is this phenomenon recreated, and it is such a powerful facet of the mother-daughter relationship. Just as your mother and grandmother before you, you have formed new links in an unbroken chain, a legacy of the powerful forces of nature and womanhood, creating, sustenance, protection, guidance and a bond of love too strong to sever."
"Did you know that you lived in your grandmother? The ovum in your mother's body, which ultimately became you, was formed and waiting inside your mother as she grew in her mother's womb. And Baby Bird's eggs, which may someday become her own children, lie in wait inside her, inside you, at this very moment. You carry generations within you! No other time in life is this phenomenon recreated, and it is such a powerful facet of the mother-daughter relationship. Just as your mother and grandmother before you, you have formed new links in an unbroken chain, a legacy of the powerful forces of nature and womanhood, creating, sustenance, protection, guidance and a bond of love too strong to sever."
I've been thinking about what Liz wrote for the last week and just can't quite seem to get over how beautiful and amazing the whole idea of carrying generations within me is. What a humbling thought to think that at this very moment I am not only carrying within me my daughter, but also the "blueprint" for my granddaughter and all the other women that will spring from her. I am carrying a little part of eternity inside of me. Can I be honest and say that the thought blows my mind! As hard as I try I can't quite get my mind wrapped around what an incredible miracle life is and how gracious God is to let us be a part of it.
Women are truly amazing and it breaks my heart to think that there are places in the world where little girls are unwanted and are aborted or killed just because they are girls. One of my college roommates just recently returned home from living in China for a year with her husband and two year old daughter. While they were there she became pregnant and when she and her husband went to get an ultrasound done they had to get special permission from a doctor for the nurses to be able to tell them the sex of the baby. This is because in China it is illegal for care providers to tell a couple the sex of the baby because too many people will abort the baby if they find out it is a girl. For some families the birth of a little girl isn't something to be celebrated or excited about because girls aren't seen as valuable assets. This is because a girl won't contribute financially to the family like a boy will or because, in a culture where only one child is allowed, some people would just rather have a boy than a girl. I'm not making a critique of Chinese culture-- because in all honesty I wonder if Americans were able to choose between having only a son or a daughter which one most people would choose-- but I am lamenting the fact that in many places in the world women, and their divine abilities to bring physical life, are not appreciated or respected.
I can't help but feel that if we, as a world, really understood the miracle and value of life that our attitude and treatment of women would be incredibly different. If our world really valued life above all else-- above land, above riches, above power, above self-- there would never be a woman who was aborted, killed, unwanted, or abused. Each person would be valued not only for who they are individually but also for the generations, yet unborn, that each human being (female and male) carries within them. In such a world marriage would be seen as being THE most important individual and societal goal because it would ensure that those future generations would be protected, wanted, and loved. And a woman's position within one of those marriages would be one of great respect and honor because of her divine role as a nurturer and co-creator of physical life.
I know that I personally can not change the entire world, but it gives me hope that as a mother I will be able to teach both my children to understand the supreme value of life and respect their roles as stewards of that life. I want them to understand that they are so much more than just "themselves" because within their bodies lie the seeds of future generations. It is really my hope that through our children Jon and I can start a legacy of love, peace, respect, and righteousness that will be carried on through the posterity that even now is growing beneath my heart.
Women are truly amazing and it breaks my heart to think that there are places in the world where little girls are unwanted and are aborted or killed just because they are girls. One of my college roommates just recently returned home from living in China for a year with her husband and two year old daughter. While they were there she became pregnant and when she and her husband went to get an ultrasound done they had to get special permission from a doctor for the nurses to be able to tell them the sex of the baby. This is because in China it is illegal for care providers to tell a couple the sex of the baby because too many people will abort the baby if they find out it is a girl. For some families the birth of a little girl isn't something to be celebrated or excited about because girls aren't seen as valuable assets. This is because a girl won't contribute financially to the family like a boy will or because, in a culture where only one child is allowed, some people would just rather have a boy than a girl. I'm not making a critique of Chinese culture-- because in all honesty I wonder if Americans were able to choose between having only a son or a daughter which one most people would choose-- but I am lamenting the fact that in many places in the world women, and their divine abilities to bring physical life, are not appreciated or respected.
I can't help but feel that if we, as a world, really understood the miracle and value of life that our attitude and treatment of women would be incredibly different. If our world really valued life above all else-- above land, above riches, above power, above self-- there would never be a woman who was aborted, killed, unwanted, or abused. Each person would be valued not only for who they are individually but also for the generations, yet unborn, that each human being (female and male) carries within them. In such a world marriage would be seen as being THE most important individual and societal goal because it would ensure that those future generations would be protected, wanted, and loved. And a woman's position within one of those marriages would be one of great respect and honor because of her divine role as a nurturer and co-creator of physical life.
I know that I personally can not change the entire world, but it gives me hope that as a mother I will be able to teach both my children to understand the supreme value of life and respect their roles as stewards of that life. I want them to understand that they are so much more than just "themselves" because within their bodies lie the seeds of future generations. It is really my hope that through our children Jon and I can start a legacy of love, peace, respect, and righteousness that will be carried on through the posterity that even now is growing beneath my heart.
1 comment:
I want to add that you also have your future grandsons (if your daughter has any, she may have all girls, who knows) inside of you. It's an amazing and beautiful concept to think about. Thank you for sharing!
On a side note. My Mom was an "accident". My Grandparents were in their 40's and thought they were done having children. My Grandma once told my Mom that if abortion had been an option back then, she would have gotten one. (They weren't LDS.) It baffles me that it could ever be an option for anyone. I'm pretty sure that even if I were raped I wouldn't be able to abort the baby, I'd just put him/her up for adoption probably.
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