This is a letter to the mama in business who.....
...Is scared that by gaining it all she will be losing all she worked for.
...Prayed for years for this sweet child, to only feel numb toward how her life will be affected.
...Thought she would be further along in her business journey by now.
...Feels she is not prepared financially to embark on this new adventure.
...Never wanted to become one, but God knew this precious little human was what her soul needed to find herself.
...Feels her life is too chaotic as is and can't comprehend how she will do it all.
...Is mourning the loss of her momentum and unsure how to continue chasing her dreams....Feels shame around her lack of presence in those early days of adjusting.
There is no doubt that Motherhood will completely change you. After growing and birthing a child you will never be the same again. However, alongside the birthing of a child comes the birthing of a new dream. And like the love for your child, the dream is something that can not be undone. This dream will require patience, so please wait for it. Ok?
Birthing your sweet babe is excrutiating AND so is the birth of that new dream. At first feeling like the trading of souls, you giving yours up to this precious new life in your arms, possibly leaving you feeling a void for months. But in time, a newfound passion and oneness with yourself develops and in hindsight you can see why the pain was SO worth it.
For years you may feel stuck in the mundane of the day to day tasks-- feeding, barely sleeping, showering, losing all autonomy. Feeling like a stranger in your new ever changing body. But all of it, it's worth it. Once you can catch your breath again, which might be three months for you or three years for her, once the fog is lifted, it all will feel oh so clear again. And once that fog is gone, please be gentle with who you once were.
You did your best.
You only knew what you knew.
You didn't have the capacity to do more than you did.
You were and still are learning as you go.
Give that former version of you grace.
Love her.
Tell her you are so proud of her.
Don't allow the clearness of your mind today, shame her for what she could have done differently. She was exactly what that little babe needed, nothing less, nothing more. God chose her (YOU) because He knew she was capable of giving that babe her best.
As I look back, three babes later, I could judge and shame myself for SO MANY THINGS, yet I choose love, compassion, appreciation, and empathy toward the mama who did her best and SO MUST YOU <3