POETRY

Redemptive Parenthood

Healing my heart while nurturing theirs.

What was left unsaid, undone A childhood before Has taken all it can from me My heart I will restore

The wounds they left, the gaps in who I thought I was to be, Can still be filled, redemptively By mothering my three

Parenting is valuable No role in life means more Provide a safe and loving start Mother, friend, mentor

The other roles I cast aside Distractions from the call All else becomes periphery And thus begins my fall

My job, my looks, my hobbies, too All have gone away My children are important now Can’t let my focus stray

Maybe one small part of me Remains through all this time I’ll keep it deep inside myself This grain, alone, is mine

I’ll hide it there so no one sees A small seed still exists Protect it from the outside eyes Hide it in my fist

Sometimes I peek inside my hand To check the seed’s still there I want to keep it safe and loved And treat myself with care

My kids are not the only ones Who need a loving start Watering the hidden seed My inner self, my heart

They say a seed must fall and die A chance to grow anew Motherhood is both for me Death and life redo

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