A Mother’s Heart…of Love
“If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?” so said Milton Berle. I love that.
But as we all know, a mother can do ten things at once, right? She must do all and be all to her children: nurse, chauffeur, economist, counselor, laundress, chef. As the saying goes, she is chief cook and bottle washer!
But a mother has a surpassing divine mission: to be a godly influence in raising her child. Sarah Josepha Hale said, “No influence is so powerful as that of the mother.”
An unknown author wrote, “The formative period for building character for eternity is in the nursery. The mother is queen of that realm and sways a scepter more potent than that of kings or priests.”
William Ross Wallace understood a mother’s influence when he wrote The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. The third stanza of the poem goes like this…
Woman, how divine your mission
Here upon our natal sod!
Keep, oh, keep the young heart open
Always to the breath of God!
All true trophies of the ages
Are from mother-love impearled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.
The MOM Initiative’s slogan follows right along with that: We believe that if the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world, then the church that mentors those hands will win it!
A mother influences her child extensively because her heart is filled with an abundance of love. It encompasses every area of her child’s life and occurs as things like sacrificing, caring, hugging and kissing, providing, disciplining, supporting, comforting, understanding, encouraging, teaching, protecting, and enjoying.
A mother’s heart of love shows up…
*by caring about her child’s physical well-being…
~“Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.” ~Ambrose Bierce
~“One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you don’t come home at night.” ~Margaret Mead
*by encouraging her child…
~“Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.” ~Marion C. Garretty
*by teaching her child right from wrong…
~“The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom.” ~Henry Ward Beecher
A mother’s heart of love protects her child. I don’t know who said it but it’s true: the most dangerous place to be is between a mother and her child. A mother will go to great lengths to protect her precious offspring.
You can say what you want about her but don’t you dare speak against her child or dare to do him or her any harm. You will see a perfectly sane woman morph into an erratic and hysterical fighter, exhibiting the courage of a bear and the strength of Hercules.
The greatest two things a mother can do for her child is to bring up that child in the knowledge of the Lord and to pray for that child. Abraham Lincoln said, “I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.”
After these two things comes giving of time, time to listen, to play, to laugh, to love.
“Make a memory with your children,
spend some time to show you care;
toys and trinkets can’t replace
those precious moments that you share.”
~Elaine Hardt
A mother’s legacy is her love; it lives in her children’s hearts long after she is gone.
Dear mother, may you have a full heart to love your child well.
From one mother’s heart of love to another…
Growing Up Different
Another crazy afternoon, a day in the life of me. Except this time, we had just picked up my oldest from school and she is still struggling to keep herself together. I juggle her assignments, Elijah’s off the wall energy and Tori’s victorious antics. We settle in for the evening, supper, showers, stories, and bedtime. After I get the little ones to bed, I hustle Chy into the shower.
She takes longer than usual, forty five minutes later, she is out, dripping wet and her eyes hold a brokenness in them. She asks me quietly if I would straighten her mound of golden brown hair.
“Sure,” I say as I begin the tedious process of de-tangling and blow-drying her Shirley Temple curls. She’s looking at herself in the mirror but something is different, I don’t like the way she is looking at herself. She doesn’t say it, so I say it for her,
“You don’t think you’re good enough, do you?” Her big brown eyes begin to mist, the pressure of being in sixth grade and trying to compute the world the way everyone else does, is just too much. For those of you who have been following this blog, you know that Cheyenne has struggled in school since the beginning.
In first grade, she floundered because she couldn’t see the words like everyone else. She had to learn a completely new way to read by memorizing the look of a word.
In second grade, we found out, she was nearly blind on one eye. It required sporting an eye patch all day, everyday. In third, she was the little girl that the girls left out in their games, making themselves superior in her eyes. In fourth, we realized she couldn’t focus and required different learning strategies with the diagnosis of Inattentive A.D.D. and recently the missing piece of the puzzle of Cheyenne was Aspergers.
Middle school holds all new challenges which Cheyenne has to fight through to make sense of the world. She wants to fit in, to look like everyone else, to be able to laugh at jokes, and be silly like the rest of her peers. But Cheyenne doesn’t get jokes, she has curly hair, glasses, and is taller than her teacher. In sixth grade, she is realizing her world is not like everyone else’s, she has to fight the way her mind interprets all of its sensory mis-communications (Imagine trying to have a conversation while standing in the middle of a casino with every machine hitting jackpot at once and confetti blowing everywhere). Everything from smells wafting in the air, to the the way her clothing feels on her body, she has to learn to tune out in order to process what is happening within the bounds of the socialization happening around her.
As I straighten her hair, I begin to tell her how perfect she is.
“God created you for something special, I don’t know what it is yet, Chy, but you have gifts, abilities, and talent for the purpose God planned for you. Everything from your hair, to your heart has been made absolutely perfect. You’re stunning, you’re powerful because you’re a child of God.”
As we stand there in the silence, the song Mean by Taylor Swift plays over the radio and we get silly. Grabbing our hairbrushes, singing along together, “You, with your words like knives, swords and weapons that you use against me. You–You’ve knocked me off my feet again, got me feeling like a nothing…Someday, I’ll be living in a big ol’ city and all you’re ever gonna be is mean…” As we dance around our bathroom, somewhere in the middle of it, I get what she’s going through, someday and soon I hope, she will be strengthened enough in who she is and not what everyone makes her out to be.
After hugging her skinny, five foot seven inch frame, I send her off to bed, feeling like I have no clue what I’m doing in this stage of motherhood but being real with her has somehow helped.
How do I encourage her when I don’t understand how she sees her world? How can I cheer her on if she cannot believe in herself? All I can do is love her the best I can and continue praying that God reveals to Cheyenne the beauty and a strength that she holds all on her own.
Expecting Stretch Marks
During the 40 weeks of pregnancy, a woman’s body does things she never imagined it could do. It begs for us to use the word “miracle” to describe the whole, amazing process. When our skin stretches more than it’s happy to, reddish or purplish marks develop that remind me of childhood poison ivy moments, minus the scratching. Primarily due to heredity, stretch marks may appear on your stomach, chest, or behind, anywhere the body is doing the miraculous work of growing to accommodate carrying and bearing new life.
photo by Maya picture
They appear gradually, so you may not even notice them at first or even until after delivery. Eventually, discolorations usually fade to more gray, whitish, or skin-colored tones, but a well-trained mommy eye usually knows where her marks are. Lotions and oils and creams relieve some of the pregnancy itchiness that some expectant moms may feel, but they really are no match for the need for our skin to stretch to do great things. Becoming a mom requires that we expand in every way.
For the first season of our lives, we mainly think about ourselves. Marriage stretches us to let go of our own desires and blend with another person, but bearing a child takes it to a whole new level. We yield our schedules, our pleasures, and our expectations to the needs of another; we let go of a lot. Not as obvious as changes on thighs or abs, the greatest changes take place in the heart and mind of a woman.
Emotionally, mentally, and physically, our lives bear the “stretch marks” of being miraculously changed as a woman, to become the mother God calls us to be. It’s a gradual process of expanding our hearts to put someone else more, to add the needs of our child before our own, and to bear the weight of their life over ours. Such love stretches a marriage. Such love stretches a mother.
In moments when we feel we cannot stretch more without popping emotionally, mentally, or physically, God reminds us that, “My grace is sufficient for you. For power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).
Expect “stretch marks” in the process of becoming a mother, before and after delivery, but not all stretch marks are hereditary. The stretching of our lives is unique to each mother, and God invites us to generously massage the salve of His healing balm of grace and encouragement into the moments when we strain. The stretching will leave marks, but they will be beautiful evidence of God’s work in the life of someone He calls to become a “Mommy.”
- How is God stretching you/has He stretched you to grow into a mom?
Uninvited Diagnosis
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She was tiny, frail and unable to meet any of her developmental milestones. I knew her biological mom had used every drug imaginable during her pregnancy. Nevertheless, the neurologist’s diagnosis cut through me. Our adopted daughter would struggle through life with brain damage.
Two years later, another uninvited diagnosis forced its way into my world. It came from a high-risk pregnancy doctor that rushed into the room after a longer than normal ultrasound. He dug the ultrasound wand into my swollen belly while still chewing his half eaten lunch, “Absent bladder…hernia…heart on the wrong side. Most likely Trisomy 18. The pregnancy needs to be terminated.”
One month later, while carrying my child still safely in my womb, I found myself rushing my six year old to the hospital. As I bent over her, spilling tears on her face, the next diagnosis came from the attending doctor. Our daughter would live the rest of her life struggling with the hardships of Juvenile Diabetes.
I don’t know about you, but when I was a child I never grew up dreaming about having children with life long special needs. Now, as a grown woman, I am caring for a developmentally disabled child, have a broken heart from a child that has passed away, and care for a child with medical issues. What do we do when life places us in such a foreign reality?
First, we need to know it is fine to cry. The Psalms give us excellent examples of how to grieve well. They start with crying out to God, asking why, and give us the freedom to have real, raw emotion. Psalm 102 gives us a great snapshot of this. We should be able to go to God with our sorrow open and honestly. Just as importantly, we should always fill our cries with prayers of thanksgiving and remembering who God is. Jonah’s Prayer in Jonah chapter 2 is another excellent passage to meditate on during our grieving, and certainly helped me through the extra hard days.
The second thing that has enabled me to press on is to know who Christ is. When my world was so rapidly unraveling, I had to find solid footing. The ONLY place to find tangible help is in the word of God. In His word, I was able to find peace and know that He is in complete control.
Lastly, God has given me a Christ-like friend whose children also have unique needs. We are able to understand each other and encourage each other on a daily basis. A friend who is in a similar circumstance is an enormous blessing! We are able to laugh together, cry together and be honest with our feelings.
Have you found yourself parenting in a hard situation? Press on, dear mom!! Our blog is here for you! Our desire is to encourage you and let you know you are not on this road alone, no matter what the uninvited diagnosis may be.
By Tara Dovenbarger
Love on Display
Yesterday was what my husband and I refer to as a “Hallmark holiday.” Don’t get me wrong, I applaud the efforts of the greeting card industry to help people communicate their feelings, but I believe expression of our love and affection for our loved ones should not be limited to one day on the calendar.
Love doesn’t just happen. It needs to be nurtured if it is to grow into something beautiful and lasting. Marriage relationships especially require daily attention to develop and mature. Often that means you make an intentional choice to show your husband you care, a deliberate effort to give of yourself.
What are some ways to let your husband know you love him every day? Put your love on display.
- “Greet one another with a holy kiss” (Romans 16:16). Start each day anew by letting him know he holds your heart.
- “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3). When he has steamed the mirrors after a shower, leave a message in the mist.
- “Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat” (Genesis 27:4). Surprise him with his favorite meal or a special dessert.
- “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:18). After the kids have gone to bed, instead of asking about his work, reminisce on your dating days. Maybe pull out some old photos and cue up a special tune.
- “Do everything without complaining or arguing” (Philippians 2:14). Let him control the television remote without protesting. It’s alright to watch yet another sporting event.
- “When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate” (Exodus 22:27). Tend his wounds. Be it physical or emotional injury, respond with compassion and care.
- “Listen carefully to my words; let your ears take in what I say” (Job 13:17). Listen when he speaks. Remember what he says and converse about topics of his interest.
- “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Affirm him. Compliment his strengths and complement him in front of his peers.
And of course, tell him you love him! Many years ago, when my husband and I were teenaged boyfriend and girlfriend, we saw a movie in which the main character, played by Keifer Sutherland, falls in love with a deaf girl. At the end, the girl jets off to Paris. As Keifer rides his motorcycle alongside her airplane, the two wave to each other the sign language gesture for “I love you.” Since seeing that film, my husband and I have waved “I love you” whenever parting ways. The gesture was also one of the first things we taught each of our children, and our goodbye tradition continues to this day. Even when words won’t work, you can still put your love on display!
I wish you a very happy Un-Valentine’s Day every day of the year, dear Moms!
Happy Valentine’s Day Mom
Oftentimes, on a day when love is in the air, moms sometimes are so busy loving on others that they don’t necessarily ‘feel’ as loved as they are. So, here’s a reminder of just how much you are loved and a sweet little poem to reflect on all you do!
“The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.’” Jeremiah 33:3
“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39
MY MOTHER
Who gave me love and held my hand
And caught me when I fell
Who never slept to comfort me
When I was scared or ill
Who praised me when I did my best
And wept when I did wrong
Who smiled at silly things I did
And taught me to be strong
Who gave and shared and cheered and cared
With her heart and hands
Who will always be a part of me
My mother, my best friend
You matter, sweet mom! You matter more than words can say and more than you’ll ever know! And you are loved just as much!
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY
FROM THE M.O.M. INITIATIVE!
Teamwork – Lessons from a Toddler
Now that he could walk on his own, however, he wanted nothing to do with either parent. If I carried him, he squirmed to get “down.” Once on terra firma, he scurried away as fast as his wobbly legs would carry him.
Terrified for his safety, I dashed after him, clamping my hand around his chubby fist. Then I endured ear-splitting screams of protest as he tried to free himself from my restrictive vice grip. (Oh, and the disapproving glances and tut-tut head-shakes of passers-by who assumed I was needlessly harsh with my adorable toddler!)
Several weeks into this new routine, Jonathon tried a new tactic. We were walking through the market – me fighting to focus on my shopping list as my tiny son was fighting to get loose from me – when suddenly he stopped struggling.
Now, I normally have s.l.o.w. reflexes. I’ll drop a bottle of soda, think to myself, “When this hits my foot, it’s sure gonna hurt!” yet be unable to move my foot to avoid the pain and eventual bruise.
Yet on this particular day, my physical reaction miraculously occurred even as my brain registered, “He’s stopped struggling. Something is about to happen.”
I gripped Jonathon’s hand tighter and, with lightening speed, rotated my wrist a half turn, moving my hand away from him. Sure enough, with a strategic gleam in his eyes, Jonathon opened his mouth and chomped his rasor-sharp baby teeth…into his own pudgy hand.
Shock, confusion, and dismay replaced defiance on his face. Pain registered, and he began to cry. I comforted him, and then we walked on, hand-in-hand without resistance.
I felt grateful Jonathon had experienced the natural consequence of his biting. He had bitten, and he had experienced the pain.
And then I thought: Daniel.
Jonathon will try this on Daniel. I’ve got to tell him before Jonathon tries this on him!
That evening, before bed, I recounted the brief incident to my husband, concluding with the recommendation, “So if you feel him stop pulling to get away, don’t think; just rotate your hand away from him.”
The very next morning, Daniel took Jonathon on a quick errand. He returned with a meek toddler and a knowing wink. After settling Jonathon down for his nap, he told me,
“It happened just like you said! I was dragging him down the isle. He was fighting to get away from me the whole time, when suddenly he stopped. My brain was thinking All of these bananas are too ripe. Don’t they have any gree- when suddenly it switched to Rotate your wrist!
He chomped down SO hard! It took five minutes to stop his crying.
The whole time, what kept going through my mind was, If he had bit my hand, I wouldn’t have thought. I just would have slapped him across the face as hard as I could.”
Daniel paused, shook his head at the thought, and resumed.
“I’m really glad I was prepared.”
Jonathon turned out to be a two-bite baby. Natural consequences nipped what could have been a nightmarish habit in the bud.
I still shudder to think what could have happened if I’d not told Daniel about my near-biting incident with Jonathon.
What if Jonathon had bitten him? What if Daniel had slapped our toddler across the face? With whom would I have sided? How would that have impacted our less-than-five-year-old marriage? How would Daniel’s image of himself as a father been altered? How would Daniel’s relationship to his son been changed?
Daniel and I learned some important lessons about teamwork that day:
1) Keep each other “in the loop.”
2) Prevent situations that encourage “siding” with a child, against each other.
3) Refuse to play tug-of-war when there’s a child between us.
We also learned how vital it was for us to keep clinging together. To keep leaning on each other – and on the One who has always safely held us – for support.
Of Tempers and Toothpaste
We are running late.
She’s still in the bathroom. Door closed. Dawdling, I’m sure.
I knock gently and turn the knob.
Not.
I barge in just in time to catch tongue against tip of toothpaste tube.
I smile sweetly. “What are you doing?”
Not!
I yell. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?”
I take the tube from her hands and toss it into the wastebasket.
Not.
I snatch it and hurl it into the bathtub. I later retrieve it and toss it into the wastebasket.
“What are you doing?” I ask again. Softer. Sort of.
“Getting toothpaste to brush my teeth.”
“You don’t lick toothpaste from the tube. You spread it on your brush. I can’t use this now. It’s full of all your morning breath. Nasty. Now I have to buy more.”
My own grandmother’s words come back to me.
“I don’t understand how your breath could smell so bad when you brush your teeth all the time.”
Words stick. And stay.
And I feel like nasty morning breath.
(I also think briefly of the story about the wife who was so (passively) angry with her husband she’d swish his toothbrush in the toilet in the mornings.)
Only minutes later this quote rolls across my computer screen.
You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of one who gives and kindles joy in the heart of one who receives. ~ St. Seraphim of Sarov
Ouch.
I was far from gentle.
Far from kind in correcting.
I did not kindle joy.
And then in Bible study after I drop her off at school.
This from the Message.
Parents, don’t come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits. ~Colossians 3:21
I suppose that applies to grandmothers, too.
And then, as if that’s not enough, from the NIV.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ~James 1:19-20
I get it already.
Again.
It’s pretty clear that I jumped into yesterday’s filthy set of ill-fitting clothes this morning.
I should have, instead, taken time to dress in the wardrobe God picked out for me.
How about you? What are you wearing today?
P.S. Later my husband corrects me. I could have simply wiped the tube off. I knew he’d say that. He’s known for retrieving food from the garbage. I was careful to bury it under wads of used tissue.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. ~Colossians 3:12-14 (Message)
10 Valentine’s Day Ideas for the Kiddos
Do you remember what Valentine’s Day was like when you were a child? Handmade heart-shaped cards, Sweathearts conversation candies with phrases like, “Be Mine” and “LOVE” impressed on the front, and a hollow chocolate heart Momma placed on the dining room table that day.
As moms, we love to make holidays fun and even educational for our children. So with Valentine’s Day looming largely over us, The M.O.M. Initiative is sharing 10 Valentine’s Day Ideas for the Kiddos.
1. Go old-school. Have them cut out heart-shaped cards from red construction paper and write a sweet note to their friends and family listing at least one thing they love about that person.
2. Throw a party. Decorate your home, blow up balloons, bake cupcakes and play games – all in the name of love. Let them help with everything. Use red and white cardstock paper to cut out homemade invitations and send them out at least two weeks ahead of time. Not only will that give their friends time to make plans with their parents, but it will help your little one experience the anticipation of the day.
3. Make it educational. Explore the myth’s and the facts behind Valentine’s Day with your children. Tell them the stories. If they’re old enough let them read it, if not let them draw and color pictures of one of the legends of Valentine. You may even be surprised at the various stories that surround our February 14th holiday of love!
4. Valentine’s Day Games. Create your own Bingo Valentine’s Day Style. Make your own cards, use a heart stamp to mark the numbers called and let your prizes be Valentine’s Day candy.
5. Make it missional. The cross reminds us that love is demonstrated by sacrifice. In Operation Christmas Child style, wrap and decorate some old shoe boxes and fill them with Valentine’s Day goodies and all things ‘hearts’ as a project of love to local children in need, to a school in a low income area of town or to the local homeless shelter or women’s center.
6. Eat red. Let your children help you bake a red velvet cake, or cupcakes with red frosting (you’ll love what it does for your teeth!), eat spaghetti, pizza or lasagna, drink pink lemonade or red punch.
7. Teach them to love well. Help them make a special Valentine’s Day gift for Dad or for their sister, brother, grandma or grandpa. Stir their hearts with thoughts about what love is by thinking about what the recipient would want and not just giving a gift for the sake of giving. Allow them to earn some money to buy those special socks for dad or a beautiful barrette for you or their sister.
8. Act it out. Write a play about how to love others. Make it fun and let your children become actors and actresses who demonstrate what it means to love, to be kind, to be giving and to be respectful.
9. Create a family tradition. If you have special Valentine’s Day memories from your childhood, begin to make them traditions for your own family. Each year implement something you did the year before to establish a family tradition and then build on that with new ideas.
10. Explore you options. The internet is chock full of sites that offer great ideas for Valentine’s Day fun. Here are a few I found just taking a quick glance in cyberspace:
http://familyfun.go.com/valentines-day/
http://holidays.kaboose.com/valentines-day/
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/valentines_day.htm
http://www.childrensministry.com/articles/more-valentines-day-ideas
Each holiday is a special opportunity to establish family traditions your children will grow to hold dear, express love to others in tangible ways and have blast with family and friends.
What do you do with your children for Valentines Day?
40 Weeks of Growing Trust
The test stick turns pink, and suddenly your whole world changes. Within days you may start to feel your body change, and new thoughts cross your mind that you never considered before. How will life change professionally, intimately, financially, and physically? With the passing of each day on the calendar, you may feel like time is running out to get a firm hold on the coming addition to your family and the changes to your world. Forty weeks will pass faster than you think, and the urge to be in control may grow right along with the size of your tummy and your belly button! But pregnancy is not just about growing a baby; it’s about growing our trust.
While the egg grows into an embryo with arm buds and hiccups, God uses the same weeks to take a woman’s heart and prepare her for the task of motherhood. Stretch marks might show up on her hips, but they’ll also show up on her heart. While we prepare a nursery and read up on nursing and pre-school, we also need to grow our ability to trust God.
You won’t find it on a baby registry or wrapped up to be received at a shower, but trust in God is a mother’s greatest resource. Many new moms learn early on that we cannot be in control of our conception, though we long to conceive. We can’t be in control our baby’s arrival, though we long to schedule. We can’t be in control of our delivery, though we develop a birthing plan. When our bundle of joy starts to eat cereal, roll over, crawl, ride a bike, or get on a school bus, mothers are reminded over and over that we cannot control the events in those who call us “Mommy” and own our hearts. We must trust the Heavenly Father to do what’s best for our treasures and to watch over them.
Thankfully, unlike us, our Father is not limited and given to sleep deprivation. He sees the future and knows the past. We may not be able to grasp it, but He is totally sufficient to watch over our little ones and to give us all we need to be the mommies He has called us to be.
“ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:28-29
Sweet mom-to-be, if there’s a baby growing inside your belly, let your trust in the tireless Heavenly Father grow in your heart. Even now, He is watching over your baby’s life, and He will not ever stop.
