In Awe of Motherhood: A new mommy is born

I have terrific news: My dear friends Melissa and Matthew had a baby boy named Jude! They’re my first friends to have a baby, and Friday was the first time I visited a hospital maternity ward and held a 2-day-old baby in my arms. In a word: wow.

But what overwhelmed me most was seeing Melissa transform into a mommy. She’s such a motherly, warm person to begin with, so actual motherhood comes naturally to her. Whether swaddling her baby “like a burrito,” rocking him back and forth to soothe his cries, or quietly explaining to him why breast milk makes him gassy, she just felt like the epitome of a mom. And not just any mom – a good mom.

Witnessing such a moment made me think of Sally. I imagined what she looked like in the hospital room after giving birth to me. I heard the sweet nothings she coo'ed into my newborn ears. I felt her soft gaze upon me. I sensed her loving spirit.

In that room with Melissa and Matthew and baby Jude, a new family whose love made even the mustard hospital walls glow, I felt all the love in the world.