What Motherhood Looks Like: A Reflection on Being a Mom by Carrie Watts

Sitting at my laptop, I was suddenly confronted by the picture my husband took of me and our second born just moments after his arrival (thanks, desktop slideshow!). As I looked at it, a flood of feelings coursed through me. I remember the relief I felt, the contentment, the indescribable joy, that my baby had arrived safely after an exceptionally painful pregnancy.

I remember being filled to the brim with gratitude and thanking God for bringing us both through it OK (with only a few stitches required). But what I see in the face looking back at me from that picture is more. That woman is exhausted, nearly broken by everything she’s been through. And yet she is smiling. She knows not what is yet in store (almost more than she can bear, as it turns out), but she is hopeful, even in her weariness.

And it made me think – doesn’t that sum up motherhood perfectly?

Despite the physical hardships that ravage our pre-motherhood bodies, despite the sleepless nights and daily worries, despite any personal pain, we remain forever hopeful in the face of the little lives we have created. Because anything is possible with them. And I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.