I came across this poem and thought I'd share it with you this week:
How Preemie Moms are Chosen
by Erma Bombeck
Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?
Somehow, I visualize God hovering Earth, selecting his instruments for
propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his
angels to take notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron
Saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a
name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a preemie."
The angel is curious.
"Why this one God? She's so happy." "Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a
premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel."
"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want
her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and
despair.
Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it.
I
watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so
necessary in a mother.
You see, the child I am going to give her has a world
of it's own. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be
easy."
God smiles. "This one is perfect. She has just the right amount
of selfishness. "
The angel gasps, "Selfishness! Is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally,
she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less
than perfect. She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied.
She will
never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary.
When her child says "momma" for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle
and know it.
I will permit her to see clear the things that I see -
ignorance, cruelty, prejudice - and allow her to rise above them.
She
will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life
because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."
"But
what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air. God
smiles.
"A mirror will suffice.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Julie Hudson, MSN, RN