Our friend Jantien, recently became a mother after nine years of waiting! She wrote a lovely text in which she played with words and perspectives. I asked her if she wanted to be a guest blogger. And she agreed!
Quite a change to have such a little one to take care of. Is n’t he the cutest!
Here she writes:
Unexpected!
Thinking how I can organize refueling moments … I’m sitting in the garden. I hear Olov in the background … and I wonder; is he almost asleep … or should I just take him with me … those budding mom questions and insecurities. And as I often do, I try to do everything at once. Making motherhood my own, time for myself, time with others … I wonder what I would like to do now … just nothing. Just carefree in the sun on the grass …
Meanwhile, I write my notebook, listen to Olov, think about what we are going to eat tonight and whether I will go out today or not, what motherhood looks like, how things are going with me and with Jan and with people around me, and how it all goes on … and on … and on … and on … And that in a single moment. I can see the grass from the corner of my eye. Olov is silent. And suddenly remember me;
Jantien, you can do it now. Lie in the grass. Do nothing at all, take a look around you. See the sky, feel the sun. Even if it is only one minute. Just one minute! And there were more. And after I had just stretched out, I took some pictures. And then I suddenly felt it; breathing space in my head, thankfulness. For nature, for Olov, for being a mother, for Jan, for people around us, for flowers, for so many things.
Unexpected!
“16 There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, On the top of the mountains; Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon;
And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
Congratulations to you and your friend on the birth of her new baby. I hope you can see him often.
I love reading your blogs but don’t reply quick enough.
When reading about the well I thought of my pilgrimage to Avila last year in the footsteps of St. Teresa and St. John of the cross. St. Teresa wrote about the difficulty of drawing water from the well and relating it to the difficulty of following Christ. (as I see it). And the phases of drawing closer to Him.
Last week I bought ‘My first bible’ for Myrthe. It took a while to decide which book was best for her because not only does she not know anything about the Lord, or the bible but she is dislexic. I gave it to her today and she was very happy with it. The right amount of text per story. So I was relieved.
It is these mindblowing moments that are so wonderful.