Maureeny's Beginning

Before Maureen was conceived, I was not sure that I wanted to have more children. First there was the issue of my age (then 37), which my father in his typical sensitivity advised was "long of tooth". I also felt somewhat petrified about it, because I didn't know whether I could handle the challenges of 3 kids. Looking back now, I think my psyche may have had a heads up that life was about to knock the wind out of me. It just didn't know all the details, but had a general premonition of how hard things would get.

Anyway, I had a feeling that a third child was the right thing for me. It came and went and sort of tortured me. I was nervous about taking it on, but felt somehow called to give it a try. Tim was more certain than I was, and would shamelessly suggest that a sweet little soul was trying to make its way into our lives. What some men won't say to get a little action!

Needless to say, we opened up to the possibility one magical summer night, and BOOM! I was pregnant once again.

Today I ran across this Madeleine L'Engle poem that I had at the bottom of my outgoing email that summer. It goes partly like this:

After Annunciation

This is the irrational season
When love blooms bright and wild.
Had Mary been filled with reason
There'd have been no room for the child.

I love that poem, and see now it was a seed planting itself in me so that Maureen would get her chance to do the same!


BTW, and FYI to the curious, there is no way in hell that I will give birth again in this lifetime. My psyche is pretty darn clear that 3 is my magic number~!