“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25, 26

If you skipped over the above scripture, take a moment to read it, please. If you read it quickly, perhaps visit the verse again and digest its meaning before we proceed, for it is the preface of our daily devotional here; and, if I am being fully honest, it is my personal 2023 ‘Jacob wrestling with God’ episode.

Never in my 20 + years of being saved have I ever stood on the precipice of doubt in the basic fundamentals of my faith. Sure, I had the typical doubts here and there, but never did I doubt eternity. That is, until my Mom died.
 
After she passed away, so many things that I knew in my head to be true, began to be wrestled out in the unseen. In the Christian circle, sometimes these are termed the ‘unmentionables’. At first, I was taken aback by the strange thoughts and unexpected questions that suddenly swirled around in my head.

‘Where is my mom now?’ (she was saved), ‘Does heaven and hell exist?’, ‘Is this all made up?’, ‘Is my Mom in this owl who is in broad daylight perched in her outdoor spot?’ (I know, that’s a weird one.)

These were raw, honest conversations I had with God. Just me and him. Long walks, wondering where my Mom truly was. My prayers to God suddenly started to include me not only talking to an unseen God, but sometimes to an unseen Mother.
 
I did not realize that I was not the only one with these questions after experiencing a close person’s death. C.S. Lewis wrote in his book, A Grief Observed, some of the same questions that I was having as he grieved his wife’s passing. His words were a comfort, knowing that maybe this was a normal thing, to wrestle your faith in moments of deep anguish.
 
Meanwhile, where is God? This is one of the most disquieting symptoms (of grief). When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be--or so it feels--welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house. Was it ever inhabited? It seemed so once. And that seeming was as strong as this. What can this mean? Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble?

Later, Lewis states the truth of God’s word, that He is just as present in sorrow as He is in gladness.  Of course, we know this, but I appreciate Lewis’ raw candidness to share with his readers how he felt in those moments.  (Might I add a small tidbit to those sitting with someone as they ask their Job questions to God? Most of them know the answers. Let them wrestle. Pray for them. Sit with them. Loving support can be just as effective in a silent presence.)
 
The truth of the matter is that I have experienced enough of God to know all of the answers to my questions. I have seen his miracles in my life, I’ve been given many rhema words to direct and comfort me, I’ve witnessed reconciliation and restoration, I’ve seen his hand of provision countless times, and I have sensed his comforting, loving presence in all seasons of life.
 
If that’s not enough, I’ve taken part in the simple miracle of God, plucking me from a destiny of hell, and setting my feet upon His rock. I am not who I was and stand forever changed in His glory. Most important of all, I choose to believe in His word, in His promises. Just as I chose to make a vow to commit my life in marriage to my husband through good times and bad, sickness and health, I’ve chosen to marry Christ and all He is, all He has for me. My love for Christ is bigger than any doubt. This love sustains me in the rockiest moments of my life.
 
All of these faith milemarkers allow those doubting thoughts to pass by on a gentle stream, not taking up real estate in my mind. Faith and trust are not one-and-done deals.  They remind me of a balloon, growing bigger and bigger over time.  Sometimes there’s a pause, a small deflation as we inhale more air, but overall it grows and takes shape.  As hard circumstances sift us and shake us, we grow closer to God and grow our trust in Him. 
 
Through abiding in Him, staying steady in His word, and the fellowship of believers, these doubting thoughts quelled over time as I expressed my grief.  I stand firm that Jesus is the resurrection and the life and those that believe in Him will live forever!
 
When I think of heaven, I see Jesus sitting at the longest banquet table, full of delicious food, waiting for me. (Maybe it is my Cajun heritage that conjures up food at the first thought of heaven. Ha!) Most importantly, the table is full of saints, the only thing we can bring with us when we exit this temporal life.   He sits expectedly awaiting you, too. I hope you join me there!  All it takes is belief in Christ!
 
 
“Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side.  Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” John 20:27
​

​Hope is a beautiful thing.  It is the catalyst for faith. “Faith is the substance of things HOPED for…” (Hebrews 11:6). 
 
But what about when hope is met with unfavorable expectations or not met at all?  Proverbs 13:12 tells us that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”.   Deferred means “drawn out, prolong, to be postponed, drag”.
 
Joseph sat innocently in prison for a total of 10 years.  I’m sure his hope grew when he asked the butler to put in a word for him to the king.  However, as the weeks, months, and eventually years passed, Joseph remained in prison.  Was his hope deferred at any point during that decade of imprisonment?   
 
The lady that hemorrhaged for 12 years met several doctors for her illness, but it only got worse.  According to mosaic law, she was unclean. Anything that touched her was unclean as well, such as chairs, beds, people.   Was her heart sick from hoping for years?  Did she long for human touch, perhaps a hug?  No doubt she grew weary of being ostracized as unclean, weary of people steering clear of her. 
 
Then, there was the man whom had an infirmity of 38 years who sat by the pool named Bethesda, which was reputed for healing properties when the water was stirred.  Perhaps his hope arose when the waters were stirred the first hundred times.  At what point in his YEARS of sitting by the waters did his hope become deferred? 
 
Perhaps your hope has been deferred.  Maybe you have had multiple miscarriages, or illness, or financial issues, or struggles with sin, or a difficult marriage, or an estranged child…the list goes on. 
 
At one time or another, our hope hits a brick wall, and this is where some of us wrestle with God.  This is where we reach out to grab hold of the hem of His garment. There must be more.  There must be a breakthrough.  Are you really the God that heals?  That brings life?  That delivers?  That provides?  How long, Lord?  Fortunately, God welcomes our emotions and questions.
 
God sometimes uses prolonged hope to draw us towards intimacy with Him.  The more and more that we get to know Him and His character, the more we can trust Him when we do not understand. We learn that He is faithful and that His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9), that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion (Phil 1:6), and that He will not forsake us (Deut 31:6). 
 
We cling to His promises written in His word like we cling to the hem of His garment.  Desperate, hopeful, and trusting.  As those promises take up space in our mind and heart, and we see Him faithful in other situations, our perspective shifts from temporal to eternal, and peace, joy and contentment grows.  Contentment that, even if we do not get what we hope for, the ultimate prize is HIM.  Eternity with Him.
 
The second part of Proverbs 13:12 says “but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.”  God wants us to hope.  And when we don’t get what we want when we want it, we get God!  The ultimate fulfillment of ALL our longings.  As Katie Davis Majors writes in her book Daring to Hope, “Our hope is our offering to Him, our sacrifice.  And in our hope, He is shaping us, molding us, drawing us to Him.  We will know Him here, friend.” 

I recently asked a friend how she was doing since returning to work after maternity leave.  Her reply was, "I'm a little stressed and overwhelmed." 

It got me thinking about transitions.  Shifts and changes to something new are usually hard.  Our brain wants things to be categorized.  Facing unfamiliar situations makes it hard to put things where they belong.  So we sit with the uncomfortable, letting our minds take time to process.  Sometimes, we aren't granted the time to process.  So we move like a deer in head lights, hoping for footing on solid ground.  Anxiety increases.  Prayers rise up.  

The word transition pops up in my mind to a couple of different scenarios.  The most popular  one is the transitioning experienced in child birth.  After a woman has spent hours in labor, preparing the cervix to fully open, she enters the hardest period of childbirth....transition.  It is the most intense and painful time of labor, but on the other side of it is a newborn baby.  

Several years ago, I was getting my hair done with a new stylist.  She was explaining to me why she broke up with her girlfriend.  "She's transitioning and has become depressed...I can't handle her."  Completely clueless, I asked her what she meant by transitioning.  "Changing sexes."  It took me a while to process that one since transitioning ones sex was a new term for me.  From what she explained, transitioning is typically a hard time for most people.  They do hormone therapy, some get a mastectomy, not sure what else, but it all sounds painful, physically, emotionally, & mentally.

The definition of transition is "the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another".    Think of a caterpillar metamorphosing into a butterfly.   

Sometimes we transition into new seasons that we don't want, such as the death of a loved one, job loss, natural disaster, or a break up.  Whether good or bad outcomes, it's the transition period that can produce the most beautiful inner working of our souls.  

Please pause and reread that last statement.  It's important to understand that!  

If we release that time to God, are honest with our emotions and thoughts, and acknowledge the reality of it all, God can bring about more revelation of Him and who we are in relation to Him.  We are His vessels created in His image, being polished so that we can do good works for Him, thus revealing His glory.  Great polishing happens during transitions!  

A few people who went through great transitions are Saul, the Christian persecutor. On the road to Damascus, he ran into Jesus, was blinded, had a great revelation of his sin and who God truly was, and became the famous Paul who wrote much of the New Testament. 

Another is Jacob.  He wrestled with God (something I recommend most people try) and was then given the name Israel. “And he said, your name no more shall be called Jacob but Israel. For as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” (Genesis 32:28)

One of my favorite transitions of biblical men is good ole Peter!  Originally named Simon, Peter undoubtedly knew and loved Jesus.  But boy did he need to go through a transition period in order to feed God's sheep!  What an excruciating period to watch your savior, your best friend, be taken captive, beaten, and innocently hung on a cross.  How quickly Peter denied knowing Jesus 3 times.  That rooster crowing must have marked a grave transition in Peter's heart and mind as he realized how easy it was to betray God.  Imagine what shifted in him to view his own heart in comparison to a holy God.  He came out on the other side a changed person.  

While Jews change names, it is our own souls and minds that undergo the transition.  Hopefully, it's a polishing that reflects God's heart! Hopefully we come out on the other side KNOWING Him more, with fruits of His spirit that testify of his love!

God,
We lean into the path you have for us.
Whatever that looks like.
We cling to you during all transitions
& are grateful that you hold us when we let go! 
We trust the process,
we trust you,
have your way!

My visit to the Sistine Chapel was nothing as I expected.  I'll admit that I was clueless to the details of this particular chapel, but having traveled to many chapels and museums in Europe, I had somewhat of a vague expectation.  Walk into a big space with tall ceilings, feel small, gaze at old oil paintings, stare up in awe, open the door and go back outside.  

For starters, we were slowly led through a labyrinth of rooms and hallways full of beautiful art pieces.  I thought we'd never get to the chapel.  In fact, I had expected the chapel to stand alone.  To be outside one second, and inside the chapel the next.  My anticipation grew, and I began to ignore the paintings in each room and follow the current towards what I inevitably came to see.  Finally we were ushered into a small room.  Okay, maybe not small, but no where near the size that I expected the Sistine Chapel to be.  

Of course the murals were beautiful, but the famous work by Michaelango is not what struck me most about the space.   As we stood crammed into the chapel filled with people, about every 10 to 15 minutes, the guards would yell at us to be quiet.  The first second, we'd abruptly stop talking, but then the sound of chatter would crescendo to what sounded like a loud roar.  It did not take long for the volume to fill the small space.  Then out of nowhere, completely forgetting the guards command, we'd be startled into silence by the guards.  Over and over and over, this continued.  

Just like the ebb and flow of our uncontrolled voices, there's an ebb and flow, a push and pull, to our hearts with God.  One second we long to be with Him, to read His word, to pray, to be consumed with anything and everything about Him.  Then, slowly we begin to flow away.  Usually we don't even notice.  Things are good.  We thrive in our self-sufficiency and busy, distracted lifestyles.  Our need for God grows dim.  We get comfortable and complacent, filling the margins of our lives with everything but the Lord.  

Unfortunately, or maybe it's God's grace, we're jolted back into the reality of our spiritual state.  Just like the guards loud cry in the Sistine Chapel, something in life wakes us up, and our need for intimacy with God is great.  Maybe it's a relationship problem, the loss of a job, lack of finances, some greater need that our self sufficiency cannot quench.  Our spiritual poverty inevitably calls for us to pause and seek.  

It is WE who move away.  Over and over and over again.  God does not move.  We do.  God is constant, arms wide open, always inviting, always near.  It is in our human nature to wax and wane from Him.  My favorite hymn is "Come Thou Fount" because of these famous lines:

"Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, oh take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above"

 The most extravagant thing about God's love is that He does not bind us to him in the sense that we have no choice but to stay with Him.  He's a God that gives us the choice, the free will, to stand where we want.  And His love is so forgiving and merciful, that He repeatedly  welcomes us back when we wander.   

God, help us be vigilant in abiding in you.  To be ever dependent on you.  To be wary and observant if we start to drift.  And give us the passion and desire to stay near.

​I’ve been reading about Jacob’s early years of marriage. (Genesis 29) Here’s a guy that was cheated, over & over again.
 
*He worked for Laban for 7 years to marry his daughter Rachel BUT was tricked and given Leah.
 
*Then he worked another 7 years and finally got Rachel, whom he loved.
 
*Finally, Jacob asks Laban to go back to his country.  Laban doesn’t want him to go because his wealth has increased since Jacob has worked for him. 
 
*But they agree to a biz deal and Jacob remains ANOTHER 6 years!  That totals 20 years.
 
*FINALLY, God tells him to go home.  Back to the land of his father. 
 
*Laban gets ticked, but God says, “Return to the land of your fathers and I’ll be with you.” Genesis 31:3
 
*Jacob talks to his ladies and says “I’ve served Laban.  He’s deceived me and changed my wages 10xs.”  I’m done. Lesssgoooo!
 
*Jacob had a dream where God said “Go. I’m with you.  I’ve seen what all Laban’s done to you.” 
 
If Jacob was a manipulative, cheat in his early years, swindling his brother Essau out of his birthright and blessing, he’s now gotten a taste of his own medicine x 20. 
 
 
But here’s where we meet God’s mercy.  Even when we wrong others, he sees and has a plan when we’ve been wronged. 
 
He saw Jacob.  He saw Jacob transform from a selfish, cheat to a person who now knew what it felt like to be manipulated, taken advantage of, and more.
 
In the long years of hard, GOD SEES YOU.  He’s changing you.
 
In the long years of waiting, God will eventually say “GO!”
 
And when he does, walk in obedience. 

I go through times of not hearing God and other times where it seems as if God's messages to me are like Niagara Falls, unleashing revelation and messages in a heavy, unleashable manner.  I found this week to be the latter situation.  Nothing majorly profound, but important nonetheless.  

While driving with my kids last week, my youngest asked, "What's airplane mode?"  Her question was out of the blue, and as I answered it, I felt God impress on my heart the importance of applying the concept of airplane mode to our lives.  

Why does our phone have an airplane mode setting?  Those who fly and have cel phones can easily answer this question.  Our phones have this setting for a couple of different reasons.  

First, it stops your phone from sending and receiving texts and calls because it prevents your phone from communicating with cellular towers.  It also disconnects your phone from a WiFi network, disables your Bluetooth, and it may also disable your phone's GPS function.   In airplane mode, your phone is on vacation.  It's not looking for a signal.  It's sleeping, in a sense.  Communication has been cut off.  

Spiritually, many Christians are in airplane mode.  Little decisions and little actions subtly change the trajectory of our course, and this deceptively leads us to a very complacent place in our Christian walk.  

What are the things that cut off connection & communication with God?  The list can be long and is personal to each individual.  Maybe it is to do lists that keep us busy and distracted, or relationships where we place people on the throne higher than God.  It could be bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, anger, rejection, pain, and so much more.  Emotions left out of check, or walls around our hearts also disconnect us from God.   

Our culture is distracting with entertainment, social media, social gatherings, materialism, and current events. The worldview that we live in is a strong current of lies.  Also, sin easily entangles us, cutting us off from hearing God's voice.  So many things fill that place in our heart that only God is meant to fill.  

All of the above, and so much more, inevitably cut us off from being connected to God.  It isn't worth it!  God does not want us in airplane mode.  He wants commune with us!  He delights in us, and just as Adam used to walk in the cool of the day with God, the Lord wants this closeness with us.  Airplane mode leaves us in the clouds, in a spiritual haze.  

It is imperative to be connected to God for wisdom, guidance, truth, convictions, discernment, and words to speak to those who don't know Him.  The airplane mode switches off the Holy Spirit.  If you find yourself far from God, "asleep" during church services, unable to hear his voice, check your heart.  "Search me, God, and know my heart."  Psalm 139:23

Ask people to pray for you, fast from food or social media or anything that steals your time, cry out to God, read the word, get with Christians who inspire you towards God, or go to that sanctuary where it's easiest to be with Him.  He is waiting for you!  It's time to get out of the clouds, church!  He's called us to go into all of the world to make disciples.  We have work to do!  

I hope everyone is doing okay during this Coronavirus pandemic.  While I know it's been a mental and financial struggle for some, I really am praying that you can see some silver lining by being home!

Home is my calling. Lol.  I thrive with slow days at home with my family.  Most days are spent in the car driving kids around for 3-4 hours!  While it has been intense, for the most part this time has been a blessing from God!  We've gardened, cooked homemade meals, painted, read, mastered home brew drinks, and more!

I am sharing a few of my favorite items that I've purchased and used a lot during this time, because I know you guys will love them! (None of these are affiliate links, except the oil.)

1- Diffuser// I love this design!  I've been diffusing so much Thieves since clove helps kill viruses. 
2- Roxy shoes// These were a recent purchase and are light-weight and easy to slip on.
3- Milk foamer// This Miroco frother makes hot foam AND cold foam. Great for cold brew! 
4- Book// My husband & I have recently read and HIGHLY recommended this book! 
5- Art kit// Can't paint?  There are step by step instructions. We did a bunch & they came out looking pro!  I had a subscription box, but you can order singles.  Use the video with it.  
6- Calming oil// I slathered this on daily during the pandemic...especially at night to help sleep.  I don't know about ya'll, but I was anxious the first few weeks of this pandemic.  This oil smells and works so well.  

Now let's pray that as our country begins to reopen, it stays that way!!

XOXO,
Lauren

On Tuesday I had to sit down and haggle on Live Chat with Airbnb to try and get a full refund for our New York City Airbnb rental.  I think it's fair to say that it might not only be unsafe to travel to the big apple right now, but most tourists places will still be closed by June 1st.  We were guaranteed a 50% refund, but I was banking on 100% given the 'extenuating circumstances' of COVID19.  

Let me back track to earlier in the day.  I was upset with someone because I had STRONG reason to believe that they had lied to me.  I didn't have full proof, but my hunch was overwhelmingly strong. Like 99% strong. I was wrestling on how to handle the situation...do I pressure for the truth?  Do I administer justice?  And what do I do with this anger inside of me?  I felt for sure that I needed to bring it into the light, set my boundaries, pour my emotions out, and not let it go until the truth surfaced and justice was given.   

Back to the Airbnb.  Live Chat said I'd have to jump through hoops to get my full refund.  They wanted documentation from the state government or the airline on why we could not go.  Because things were changing weekly with COVID19 and because we had until May 17th to get a partial refund, I didn't know what June 1st would hold. 

Then I got mad.

Mad at myself because if I had sought God prior to buying plane tickets and paying for half of the price of the apartment, He could have told me "No, don't go," sparing me from having to sort this mess out.  "This," I told myself "is why I am so slow to make decisions.  So that I can wait and hear from God in order to avoid messes when I make wrong decisions."  Frurstrated, I said a quick prayer for help to sort this out. 

Then, all of a sudden, Airbnb said I could simply attest in an online statement why we couldn't go, and that they would give us the entire refund!  That simple.  So I wrote a sentence and had my bank account fully refunded within an hour, to my dismay.  Airnbnb rocks, I thought. 

With that issue solved.  I let my thoughts fester back to 'the liar'.  I really hate lies, even though I'm not always innocent.  Because I was almost absolutely sure of my defense but still lacked proof, I began to pray.  (Duh!  Why do I wait so long to pray?) And I really expected God to show me how to get the truth revealed and how to set boundaries.  Ha ha. 

Almost immediately, I heard God say, "Lauren, you were just in a mess with your refund.  That could've lasted days, and you could have been required to jump through some big hoops, or you could've lost a lot of money, but by my grace and mercy, I made it easy.  You got your full refund, almost immediately."  This made me think of the parable about the king in Matthew 18 who forgave his servant his debt, yet the servant turned around and harshly forced someone else that owed him to pay up.  

Wow.  In awe and gratefulness, it lifted all anger off of me that I had been harboring towards the one who I thought wronged me. It made me want to move in mercy and forgiveness towards them.  It felt so freeing to taste God's mercy and grace, so much so that I wanted to extend that same grace. How amazing was God to lovingly show me where I was in error?

I recently read the following words about grace from Mark Gregston in his book, Tough Guys and Drama Queens, that grace for him is "moving relationally toward a person when they have wronged you.  It's opening the door of your heart when every part of you wants to shut it off."  

There are so many times that people will harm us, and we may never see justice this side of heaven, but guess what?  God is our vindicator!  By handing it over to God, He handles it all, removing us from having to get justice.  Now don't get me wrong, there are certainly times when God will tell us to set boundaries and such, but I'm mainly talking about the heart here.  Our heart gets freed when we practice grace and mercy and let God do the vindicating.  

It all reminds me of sin.  How instantly God forgives and removes sin by his grace and mercy.  I don't deserve it, but he does it.  He can make it easy.  How much more should we forgive and move forward without shaming those who have sinned?  Oh Lord, help me to be like you!  Thanks for your infinite mercy and grace!

" Anxiety is a thief.  It steals not only our peace and joy, but our motherhood."  Join Lori Ward from the Messy Motherhood podcast as she and I discuss anxiety.    If you've ever worried or dealt with anxiety, it is easy to understand that it is not of God.  That does not mean that medicine is from the devil and that we should avoid it all cost.  Listen HERE to learn about what anxiety is, how it effects the body long term, and some easy ways to cope with it! 

This is a Mother's Day blog post that I wrote over 10 years ago when my children were little.  I thought it'd be nice to share again.  No matter what season of parenting you are currently in, the sacrificing and dedication never ceases.  Be blessed, Mamas!  You are doing a great job, and your Father in heaven sees you!  At the end of the day, that's all that matters.  

You might be asking what does a Humpback whale have to do with a Mother's Day devotional?  A heck of a lot!  The other morning, my four year old daughter began questioning the definition of the word poor.  I explained to her that the word poor, in the materialistic sense, pertains to those who do not have enough money to take care of their needs.  I proceeded to share with her, in a way that a 4 year old might understand, that Jesus said that we should give to those in need.  "For example, Ruth, if you have a lot of candy and your brother has none, you should share with him."  Simple enough. 

That evening we went to see the documentary Earth.  At one point, they showed a mama Humpback whale pushing her newborn baby to the surface of the water so it could receive air.  She did this over and over and over again.  I grew tired just watching her.  As the picture rolled, the narrator explained that the baby drinks 150 gallons of milk per day and that the mother is actually starving because they are in a part of the ocean with no food.

While watching and hearing all of this I began thinking, "God, I feel this exact same way...I endlessly clean, cook, break up fights, bathe kids, read to them, comfort them, train them to not whine, teach them to not talk back..." My moment of wallowing was interrupted as Ruth, the lesson on poor and rich very fresh on her mind from our morning's discussion, whispered to me, "Mom, that mama is poor, and that baby is rich!"  I nearly melted in my chair as I held her to me saying, "Yes, you're right."

The movie goes on to later show the mother and baby whale traveling OVER 4,000 miles to the South pole.  At one point they are in treacherous seas and the mother has to repeatedly flap her flipper on the ocean's surface in order for the baby to hear her and stay on course.  They finally make it to their destination and eat tons of shrimp!  I wanted to stand up and applaud in the theatre.  Mama whale had stayed her course, did what she was called to do, and had crossed the finish line!

The humpback whale is a great example of a persevering and sacrificing mother, with her child's needs foremost in mind.   We too become tired and hungry for more than food and sleep, and we all too often desire to give up at times; however, with compassion, diligence and perseverance we will make it to our destination.   I find solace knowing that while I am sacrificing my needs and wants for my children, I have a God that has done the same for me and provides me with the strength and grace for this journey.  

​I wanted to tell Ruth that the mother was rich too, but I will let her discover that on her own when she crosses the oceanic expanse of motherhood.  

Happy Mother's Day to all!