“It’s Not a Tumor, It’s a Baby!!”

At 47 years of age most women are anticipating the empty nest, or perhaps even grand- children, but in my mother’s case she was well on her way to having yet another baby, and did I mention she had 8 children already?! After having had eight children my mother claims that her tenth pregnancy went unnoticed…She said her stomach was growing, but figured-- it was a tumor, because there was no movement and for all practical purposes she couldn’t have been pregnant…! Eventually she got scared and went to see the doctor (for the first time mind you, she had never seen a doctor for any of her previous pregnancies), and her doctor gave her the news and let’s just say; it was not what she was expecting. Her stomach was growing alright, but not because of a tumor, but because a baby was well on its way!! The doctor (as my mom recalls) had a hard time convincing her that she was expecting…and not a mass of tissue, but a bundle of work…and who could blame her?! Her husband was a full blown alcoholic unable to support his family, which made her depend mostly on her grown sons to help her support her very young crowd still living at home. Although shocked and shaken by the news, she pressed on and gave me a chance at living.

I hope I never have to find out what it means to have a child at 47 years of age. But over the years my view and appreciation for my mother has drastically changed. As a child I didn’t like being asked “why does your mother looks more like your grandmother?” As a teenager I tried to make my mother as small a part of my life as I could. Shame and awkwardness are a better description of our relationship growing up. With time and years of watching her devotion to not only her children but to her husband (though a hindrance at times), my own experiences as a mother, and of course, the Holy Spirit, I have been allowed to see how dear and precious she truly is to me. I’m blessed to still have her. She used to tell me that she wouldn’t make it to my 15th birthday…not only did she make it, but she now watches me watch my own children and imitate the hard work she so faithfully thought me.

Every year when it comes time to celebrate how much older I’m getting; I just want to celebrate her, not me! I’m reminded of the strength and the courage that it must’ve taken to see that pregnancy through and the extra hard work she had to endure in the years that followed. But more importantly, I am reminded of our good Shepherd, the odds were against me, but He went after me and found me. I just pray He goes looking for my mom too. Amen.