All day on my oldest daughter’s birthday, I remember that this was the day I became a mother. The day is imbued with a rosy holiness, transforming the everyday world of mundane things — a laundry basket, a cheese grater, a dutch oven — into pieces of our miraculous life. Parenting is a long, long road — there’s no doubt about that — the world would be unimaginable without this road.
At the end of a very long labor with this baby, I saw myself descending deeper and deeper into a dark, stone-lined well, my arm outstretched, reaching for my baby who I knew was somewhere down at the well’s bottom.
This child was born at the very end of the 20th century, in contemporary Vermont. Modern medicine made her life possible, and certainly saved my own, too. Every year, when I’m grateful for this young woman’s life, I remember the strangers who brought her into the world.
Happy February.
Stony Soil Vermont 
It is miraculous. After our granddaughter spent 10 days in the NICU, I learned just how powerful our modern medicine can be. Happy Birthday to your daughter. Our children are unimaginable gifts.
I hope your granddaughter is well now. How incredibly stressful that must have been!
She is a thriving and lively 3 year old now. Thank you for asking about her.
Such a beautiful homage to becoming a mother. My own day was on January 28, and your vision of the well is so apt. Here’s to our journeys on this long road. xo
Happy birthing day to you, too! xo
A beautiful tribute to those angels in the medical profession.
Thank you. 🙂
So very touching!
It is true that we usually never get to see or thank the medical staff who helped us on the most important day of our lives.