Motherhood begins with surrender.
For the sake of love, yes,
but surrender all the same
the body the mind the soul the spirit
bends to the body that breaks open
the womb, the silent seed
that buries itself into the earth
of the secret place within

If birth isn’t surrender
Forget everything I’ve ever said
Or don’t you remember when all you could do
was stay alive
while the waves broke over your body
to bring this baby to the shore
of a new world

Motherhood is the surrender of plans
Of dreams of hopes great and small
Of sleep and a certain kind of freedom
To go where you want when you want how you want
To hold a picture in your mind of who you truly are

It is adding another set of desires to your own desires.
It is calling up a radiant hope for another life.
It is seeing a life flashing before your eyes that is not your own life
And knowing that no matter how hard you try to do everything right
This child will walk in a broken world
And you still have to learn to surrender him back up to God
Day by breaking day, night by waking night

And this surrender is good.
Because it is for the sake of love.

Here is my one-minute read-aloud of this poem from my Instagram page. I have been trying to shoot these videos out like little arrows of light in the darkness each day for 30 days. To see more, click the image below.

If you feel a kindred connection to my writing and the work I am creating, would you consider joining me on Patreon? This is where your support opens up time in my life to write and share. There are also some fun thank you perks inside–a couple of video retreats, access to my journaling course, live events, and sneak peeks of my life and in-progress work. If you love my work, thank my Patrons. They are fueling my creative fire and giving me the time, resources, and honestly courage to show up and share.

Veiw more of my one-minute read alouds. (You don’t need an instagram account to watch.)