I had such a sweet time making the little Lucias from Alicia's kit. I noticed today that she set up a flickr group for folks to share images of their little creations, but for lazy me, this is as far as I got in terms of photographing them, all naked and disembodied.
Andrew turned 2 last week and we really didn't do a very good job of celebrating in style. He wanted soy-dogs and pickles for dinner, so that's what he got, along with a chocolate-chip muffin disguised as a cupcake. It's Nigella's recipe and true to the British custom of not being achingly sweet. I could have eaten four in one sitting. Pete brought me flowers for our little man's birthday , a tradition I love. One of my close friends, Cory, had her second baby on Sunday. She and I went to midwifery school together and were neighbors in Brooklyn and pregnant at the same time with our firsts. She's a midwife now at the fabulous, deeply-needed birth center at Roosevelt Hosp. in NYC. Cory's the yin to my yang - she's in all ways very soft, very tender. When I asked her how her birth was, she said, "Terrible". When I asked her why, she sighed, "Well, you know - it was normal". Although I hate she had a rough labor (I'm sure waiting in traffic at the Holland Tunnel nearly in transition didn't help) I am oddly comforted by the fact that even she, who acquiesces so effortlessly through the jagged bits of life, was challenged by the overwhelming task of labor.
Maybe it's just because I'm a midwife, but I've always been curious about why the birth part of Christmas isn't addressed more. I can't imagine the vulnerability of Mary as she struggled along the streets of Bethlehem, looking for a place to have her baby. And I love the idea that most of the most meaningful events of our lives happen in common places, lowly places...that we can find our greatest joys in times of struggle and stillness.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
birthdays
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5 comments:
Thank you for giving that little seed thought at the end of your post. I think more often now that I'm a mom, what WAS it like for Mary. Young, first child, unfamiliar surroundings, far from home, was her mom there? There's no mention. Yet--she did it. She birthed that baby. Wow.
That is just what I needed to hear.
Something guided me over to your blog today, right when I needed a good dose of strength.
You're are so correct to point this out.
Mary did it. So can we, whatever the struggle.
Thank you.
It's both humbling and comforting to think of Mary's calling to be the mother of Jesus. As any mother know, the love associated with pregnancy and birth is like no other, and to be accompanied by such a divine miracle! And through the miracle, comes this humanity that is truly inspiring mothers. May the Light of this season fill your family through and through.
I hope that your absence from blogging means that life is full of good things. All the best to you in the new year!
Hi! I just happened upon your blog and LOVE IT!
Even though I've chosen not to be a mother, I have so much respect for Midwifery - you are continuing a deeply important tradition of women sharing their strength and giving of themselves ... thank you for that!
As for the image of Mary - I imagine that the reason the reality of her pregnancy and birth isn't discussed is because of Immaculate Conception and The Virgin Birth - Mary is the only woman, according to the bible, who did not suffer during birth. As I was taught in catechism, there was no labor (although having no place to go and having our baby in a barn must have been distressing.
Imagining the reality of a woman in that day in age, in that situation, would be quite different than what the bible tells us the Mother of God went through. The painless, bloodless Virgin Birth is crucial to believing in the divinity of Jesus.
As I understand it...
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