To My Sisters Who Are Both Making Me an Aunt This Week

due six days apart both with little boys

For two brief seconds, I thought I invented the term, "bundle of joy."

I was rocking my newborn baby boy and could not believe how much happiness I felt with him wrapped up in my arms. He was so beautiful, so perfect, and just by being there, he literally brought Heaven into our home. 

I struggled to know how to express my love for him. "You're just, a bundle of joy!"

That was a lovely way to tell him how you feel, all swaddled up in a blanket in your arms! I thought to myself. But it seemed oddly familiar. And then I realized, it was the same saying plastered on gift bags, and baby shower cards, used in television and movies over and over again. Probably one of the most overused phrases used to describe babies ever.

I felt a little silly, but it didn't matter. I meant what I said. 

I snuggled him close. And breathed him in. And kissed his forehead. And whispered, "You are MY bundle of joy."

Something similar happened this week as we were driving with the family in the car. Danilo and I were trying to explain to little girl why no matter how much she grew up, she would always be our little girl. My parents used to tell me that all the time and I just thought they were silly.

But I get it now.

You, my darling sisters, are embarking with your husbands on one of the sweetest journeys life has to offer. In a few weeks you will be rocking your little boy wondering what you ever did so right to get to hold him in your arms.

You have not yet known the kind of joy that awaits you.

*****

I just want you to know that if your joy is ever eclipsed by moments of feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or overly emotional, you are okay. I hadn't anticipated anything but being completely overjoyed at the birth and bringing home of my baby so when I started to feel this way for periods of my day, I was concerned and worried.

If you're having funky thoughts or feelings, call Mom or call me or some other wonderful lady so we can help you realize you're okay, cheer you up and come over and lift your load when you need it. 

Your baby is safe with you. Even if you feel inadequate. And especially if you call for help when you need it.

I think what unnerved me the most was that these thoughts and feelings made me not feel like myself anymore, and with the dramatic life change I had just undergone, I was worried that I wasn't going to feel like myself ever again. I just want you to know that it's okay. Things will level out. And you will feel like yourself again.

The truth is, having a baby has changed you. Into your baby's mom. And you will love who you become because of him. You will find you have the courage to be better than you were before you had him. 

And he will love you. He will think the world of you. 

You are his mom.

 P.S. Oh, and hey. Thanks for making me an aunt! ♥♥♥

Unselfish

Did you know that in a few weeks, on May 5, Kim Kardashian is releasing a new book called Selfish, containing over 350 of her favorite pictures she has taken of herself?

Read that last part again. Containing over 350 of her favorite pictures she has taken of herself.

This is not a joke.

Bless her heart.

It is available for pre-order on Amazon now. 

*****

This is not a post about whether or not you should be keeping up with the Kardashians. This is not a post analyzing whether or not Kim Kardashian is a good person. I like to hope that there's a little bit of goodness in everyone. And besides, I don't have enough content to work with, because around here we are keeping up with Elmo, and that cute Australian show about mermaids on Netflix.

This is a post about another book coming out on the same day as Kim Kardashian's, but this one is titled, Unselfish.

It is a book that contains 99 stories of people putting others before themselves. 

I feel like everyday we are constantly shown examples of humanity getting it wrong. This book is refreshing as page after page demonstrates stories and beautiful photography of people getting it right. I felt grateful that the people inside are scattered all over the same planet where you and I live.

I'll be honest, while I was excited about having the opportunity to review a book before it was released, I got a little nervous as I started reading. I was worried this book would make me feel like I sometimes feel at a university graduation ceremony. You know, when all the accolades of highly successful individuals are read. That it would be full of stories of people who dropped everything and moved to a third world country to help the people there. Or people whose passion for an issue developed into a gigantic foundation. That it would make me feel like I haven't accomplished much at all.

Sorry for my bad attitude.

While the book is full of stories like that, it is also sprinkled with stories that made me feel like, hey, I could do that.

One of my very very favorite pieces in the book is about two auto shops in the same Georgia town. In 2011, one of them was leveled by a tornado. In the aftermath, the auto shop that was still standing opened its doors and let its competitor in. The two businesses shared car bays and office space and worked side-by-side for ten months. "We truly believe that God wants us to take care of our fellow man, and when we do, he will take care of us," said the shop that opened its doors.

Along the way I learned that unselfishness is like a muscle. We all have that muscle. Kim Kardashian has that muscle.We better ourselves and the world around us every time we exercise it. 

Some are blessed with the vision to apply unselfishness on a grand scale and can bless vast numbers of lives. Others quietly apply it on smaller scales and have profound impacts on individual lives.

It took me about five or six sittings to get through the whole thing, and each time I put it down, I found myself wanting more and more to get outside of myself and be more selfless.

I stand with the book's claim that, "Unselfish will reignite your faith in humanity and may just inspire you to love your neighbor as thy selfie."

*****

Since I read Unselfish, selfless acts around me seem to be happening more often.

Yesterday I was watching my kids play at the park. The weather was lovely, it was the perfect afternoon to be out. But one little girl kept interrupting the scene by screaming at the top of her lungs. Her mom apologetically smiled at us. "Mildly autistic and I'm forcing her to be social today." She carried a baby in her arms as she knelt down and gently talked to her daughter in distress. I observed with admiration this mother who had her hands full as another child, a little older than the screamer started calling, "Mom! MOM! I need a PUSH!" I realized this woman had a third child who was not enjoying her time on the swing because her mom was required to tend to the crisis at hand.

A mom among the rest of us stood up. "Is that your mom?" she spoke to the girl, motioning to the other woman. "Is it okay if I push you while she helps your sister?"

And she did. Not just five or six times, but for nine or ten minutes.

What was so beautiful about the scene to me was that it was clear by their outward appearance that these mommas would not probably run in the same social circles. Their differences in dress and hair fed my assumption. But the inner beauty of each of those two mommas was so apparent in that moment. The one with her I'm sure day-in, day-out patience with her children, and the others willingness to step in and lighten her load made me grateful for the unselfishness I was witnessing in my very own neighborhood.  

I don't think selfless acts are actually happening more often. I think I am just more in tune to recognize them better. And they inspire me to be better. And the world seems a more beautiful place.

*****

 

Interested in learning more about Unselfish or owning a copy?

You may do that here:

unseflishstories.com

here:


https://www.facebook.com/unselfishstories


and find it for sale on Amazon here.