Hunting for sea glass, yesterday, I took some time to look around and take in the wonderful beach scenes that were happening all around me. This brave very, very, VERY pregnant woman caught my eye. I found her mesmerizing as she waded ankle-deep in the warm ocean water and thought about her baby doing the very same thing inside of her body. I remembered back to my "labor"days, as I worked with all of my might, to bring my Angels into the world. One by one, I carried them safely tucked inside of my womb, dreaming about who and what they each would be. And one by one, they exceeded my expectations, as they continue to do to this day.
There was something about watching this woman and her little girl that made me feel nostalgic about the past. Something that made it difficult for me to turn my eyes away. As women, we go through so many transitions in our lives. We are expected to create and let go, as if there is nothing to it. Even those of us who do not have children experience these transitions as a part of our own evolution. We create art, we create work, we create things with our hands that are made with love, and then, if we are to share these things with the world, we let them go. Hoping, praying that what we have set forth, will be loved and appreciated by others. It is the song of a woman's heart...To labor and then set forth. The rhythm carries almost the same pattern as the ocean's waves.
I spotted these three young boys adventuring through the run-off tunnel which funnels into the ocean. Three young men with nothing to do but test their own limits. Camaraderie in action. I thought about the lessons that they were learning by testing their own courage. Just by watching them, I sensed that the young boy in the center would someday grow into a supportive, loyal young man. I thought of our young people at war in other countries on this Labor Day. Alone, but together. Leaning on each other's shoulders to hold each other up. Leaning on each other's shoulders to keep from falling.
And then I looked over and spotted my past, present and future. The little boy who once led his friends through the forests by his house. The man who is a supportive loving, husband and father. The little Angel that I labored to bring into this world, and that I still continue to labor over in raising. And I knew. I knew that no matter how difficult life seems to get sometimes, I can always look towards them to bring me hope. To remind me of what life is worth living for. To remind me of what is worth fighting for. For they are the shoulders that I lean on when I feel like I am falling down.May you move gently, yet purposefully through the transitions of your life. May the release be eased by the knowledge that you did the very best you could do in preparation. May the shoulders of those you love feel safe and strong. May your shoulders always be strong enough to bear the weight of those who need you.
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