God found it necessary to create mothers. It just wasn't working before they came along. Recently I came across a physical test for prospective mothers and fathers.
For Women: Obtain a large beanbag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Now remove 10 of the beans.
For Men: Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.
This doesn't really come close to even hinting at the sacrifices, challenges and rewards involved in becoming parents. Nor does it do justice to the magnitude of the role played by mothers in particular.
We have an idea about the significance of Michelangelo's Sistine chapel creation. We can imagine the work involved in the four years of painting, the inspiration from Divine and other sources, and even the influence of other artists and spiritual leaders.
A mother's creation, though much of it happens in nine months, takes more than four years and involves many more influences of significant theologians, psychologists, and specialists of various backgrounds including artists and craftsmen.
A close cooperation with God and a loving partner begins the process. But can anyone measure or guess at the hours of commitment in even the first nine months? How much pain is born out of respect for the baby, simply because of the possible adverse effects medication may have.
Just suffering through a normal cold or flu has complex challenges. A headache or sinus infection? A sugar imbalance? A multitude of pains and discomforts of stretching, the sometimes painful re-arranging of your body to accommodate the growing baby.
Finally, a new-born miracle! A blank screen, a tabula rasa. A canvas that will be filled with the mother's and father's help 24 hours a day for the foreseeable years. And someone was wondering about the importance of mom and dad?
I have published books, and believe me, that experience doesn't come close to the miracle of, the importance of, the creative challenges of bringing a child into this world.
Michaelangelo, step aside, here comes a mother of twins! There's only one place good enough for a mother of sixteen. You guessed it. My mother is already there, along with my father.
