My daughter packed her bags about three weeks ago in preparation to have a baby. With all the usual is a very unusual packet of papers. She has packed pictures of her maternal ancestors who are coming to the birth with her. I wouldn't be surprised if Heaven arranges to have her maternal ancestor angels there in person as well. Angela is going to do what the women in those pictures have done for millennia - bring a child through the veil of mortality. She will invite a helpless, hungry baby in her life. Her greatest joys and deepest sorrows will be in and around this greatest of adventures. She will take upon her the journey of the ages to raise a child; nurture and love like her ancestor mothers. She will mentor and coach like her mother ancestors. She will teach, train and educate in the maternal patterns of the millennia. She will whisper in her baby's ear, she will read at her bedside and teach the volumes of light and truth in her soul. Every word she speaks and action she does will speak what she knows and believes. She will defend and protect with her husband as millions before have. She will have more influence on this little soul than any other living person.
What I love about bringing the stories to birth is the symbolic and actual looking to the past for strength. While new to Angela, the maternal lineup that precedes her coming has been going on for thousands of years. What did they know? And what can they share with this new mother?
Her great, great grandmother Patty Sessions delivered 4000 babies as a midwife. Great great, grandmother Rachel told the sheriff who came to take the cows for payment because the crops failed when there was no water; "I have a young baby, and I need the milk." He responded, "Lady, I will leave you the best cow." and he did. Great, great grandmother Anna crossed the ocean from Germany with her husband, baby and toddler to give them a better life. Great, great grandmother Jean rode the trolley car every day to go to work to provide food for her six children and great, great grandmother Clara, seven months pregnant made a bed for her three children in the train station when there was no place to stay. These are a few of the stories in the bag.
In these stories, she can find sanctity of life, determination, and courage. She can find compassion, hope, and joy. She can find strength, beauty, and stability. According to the oft-cited study from Emory University, knowing family history gives a sense of wellbeing, emotional stability, connection and identity. (Deseret News) Who better to look to for strength than those who sacrificed to love and bring you here? While my daughter is far away, I know that she and her husband won't be without family. The family is packed in the bag!
