Three weeks had passed since I labored sixteen hours
to deliver our son. Taking the elevator to the pediatrician’s office, I
smoothed the silver silk on my son’s head, straightened his rumpled appearance,
and readied myself for the excitement of showing off my treasure.
The doctor’s eyes locked with mine, and we savored
the richness of this moment. The year
before, this doctor had grieved with me after I delivered a stillborn
daughter. My son—this nine-pound,
three-ounce cherished cache of body, soul, and spirit—was a double portion of
God’s blessing.
The pediatrician did a thorough examination, declared
my son healthy, and then in his thick East Indian accent asked me a question—something
about reward. I didn’t really understand
what he meant, but nodded.
The next visit, the doctor asked me
the same question—again referring to reward.
I swallowed and admitted, “I don’t understand.” The doctor laughed, dark eyes dancing, and
said with exaggerated articulation, “Has he rewarded you for his delivery? Has he smiled at you?”
To my wise pediatrician, the first smile would make
mother forget all her woes of pregnancy and delivery, and he was right. The first time my son focused his baby blues
on me and consciously spread his mouth, the pain of delivery melted away.
You see, the way an infant grows and develops
after this is astounding—their list of firsts grows at a rapid rate: first
coo, first tooth, and first step. But as
I mothered my son, and his siblings after him, I encountered a variety of
new firsts along the way.
The list grows with each passing year, each first a
treasured mental snapshot: first words on the telephone to Dad; first trip to
the zoo; first day to color a picture in the lines; first day to ride a bike
without training wheels; first day to read a string of words, making sense;
first day to strike a homer; first day to say the pledge. The parent learns to recognize the sparkle in
the eyes of success.
Yes, moms are privy to thousands of extra-special
moments if we look for them. God planned them to come one at a time—marking
days, months, and years. Each of those
moments—each first—is for our reward and great satisfaction because with
passion, we love our kids.
Discouraged? Count your firsts.
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3
