Giving Thanks

This week I attended the most wonderful birth of an especially precious friend. She embodied the very definition of surrender as she calmly labored and birthed at home with her husband by her side. It was the deepest honor to have been a part of this vulnerable chapter as they welcomed their new baby earthside. I was reminded, like at every birth, how very beautiful, precious, and finite life is.

On the drive home in the middle of the night, I couldn't help but reflect on the last year where this dream had really taken off. I had finally taken the steps to attain a doula certification after a deacade of wondering if it was the right time yet to do so. (It was an easy call when your incredibly knowledgeable and talented friend created the Better Birthworker Doula Certification). I quickly booked my first birth, then my second, third and so on! My calendar was filled with families who wanted redemptive births; supported births; and hope filled births. Each was special in its own way, showcasing the power of the feminine, the cherishing support of loving spouses, and the goodness of God.

My initial goal was to get through the first three or four births and assess if this would be a good fit for my family before going all in. As a stay at home (ish), homeschooling mom of four kids, I'd need to be assured I had the proper care to support them in my absence. But more than that, I needed to determine if I could still carry a client load mentally, and be present for my children. I would not compromise in this.

But, it didn't take long to see the answer was, emphatically, yes! Being a doula educating, serving, and supporting clients checked every passion box in my soul and left more than enough space to be lovingly present with my family. I can show up in my home excited to spend my days filled with caring for, playing with, and educating my children and show up for my clients armed with tools, knowledge, and a whole lot of love. It is an incredible gift to have discovered such a deep passion to serve in a way that refreshes me, refuels me, and allows me to pour into my children just as fervently as ever.

I am extremely grateful for the clients who took a leap of faith in me this year to stand beside them in their most vulnerable spaces. I am hugely thankful for birth after birth where I saw Jesus in the details. I have the greatest appreciation for the number of caregivers who have stepped up and into our lives to love our children in my absence, but also for my husband who hasn't batted an eye when come stumbling in mid-morning after an all night birth.

Over a decade ago when I stepped into our local pregnancy resource center as an administrative staff member, I could never have imagined how it would be the first step of many in serving hundreds of women and couples in the pregnancy and birth space. That young girl had no idea she'd help women and couples chart the path of pregnancy, birth, and parenting, go on to have four of her own babies, and then show up as a business owner helping empower couples thrive in their season of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

The Lord does not allow a moment of our life to go unused. He takes our experiences and passions, and turns them into an offering for our futures to give away and create.

It is this that I'm most grateful for.