“I can imagine no greater heroism than motherhood.”
—Lance Conrad
By most estimates, humans have been on Earth for 200,000 years, and approximately 110 billion humans have lived during that period. There are so many places to go with this data, but viewed through any lens, it’s miraculous!
I have twice now seen our daughter Abby go through nine months of pregnancy and then bring a baby into this world. Of course, I was in the delivery room when both of our daughters were born, but now that I am older, the whole process seems even more amazing and consequential, more sacrificial and love-filled than I ever previously recognized.
It’s easy to normalize bringing a child into this world, as it’s been done so often by so many since the dawn of human time. But when I reflect upon this supreme act of love that is life creation, it’s clear that it’s perhaps the most sacred and inspiring endeavor a human can undertake. Watching the process unfold at this point in my life, I can’t help but feel the hand of “god” at work.
A child is conceived and carried inside its mother for nine months, as one human becomes two. Then comes the moment of birth. Mother Earth at work, re-creating herself. The Universe at work, expanding itself. A specific child of never-to-be-repeated uniqueness that cannot enter this world without its specific mother and father is born. That newborn is instantly and fully dependent, unable to feed or change locations without attention and care.
When I contemplate the characteristics of “god,” I think of the power to create and expand. The god I imagine is constantly exploring, multiplying, diversifying, and reinventing our world. All of these attributes are assignable to a mother and child. There aren’t words to describe the glory of creating life and raising a child.
Humankind has been around, so they say, for 200,000 years, yet if women stopped giving the gift of new life, humanity would disappear in about 110 years. Everything that can be in the future is dependent upon mother and child. So, here’s to all the moms across all human time—the givers of life that make everything else possible.
“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.”
—Robert Browning
