So this morning I went to the hospital with a young friend of mine who is expecting a baby very soon. She hasn't been feeling well and her doctor wanted to see her at the hospital just to check everything out. She is fine and the doctor assured her that her baby was doing beautifully. Wonderful news!

As I was there, I saw young couples in varying stages of anticipation (labor) awaiting the arrival of their babies. Several thoughts concerning parenthood have occurred to me since this morning as a result of seeing all these folks waiting.

Do they realize as they await that first child how riciculously their lives are about to change? They would probably say they do - at least they know change is coming.

But really?

Do they know that the heart that you thought had been broken in the past will now be so vulnerable in the hands of your tiny little baby that you will literally cry when they cry because you seem to feel their pain more deeply than your own?

Does the young mother I was with understand that in just a few years there will be times when, in the middle of the day, she will be rendered stupified thinking that her daughter might be made fun of by playmates at school?

Does the dad pacing the maternity floor know that one day, he'll excuse himself in the middle of an important business meeting, drive 100 miles an hour back to his home and then 100 miles an hour back across town to his son's baseball game in time to literally throw his cleats over the dugout fence to his son who has just mysteriously found a second pair of cleats in the bottom of his bat bag?

Do the parents know that there will be a time at least 20 years from this day when they will wake up in the wee hours of the morning and feel an actual weight of fear on their chest because they don't know if their son or daughter is safe in their dorm room or in a less desirable, more dangerous place?

Parenthood is amazing - other than eternal life, it is the richest blessing available to us humans.

I am so glad I'm a mother.

Today I'm praying for all of the new parents I know.

You pray too!