little mother {letters to eva}

"opsies!" you exclaim at the sound of your wee baby sister in the next room.  you run to her aid pressing her susu softly against her lips. you bend low to give her your kiss.

your brother throws a tantrum in the other room. "opsies!" you run off to tend to your motherly duties.  he is stuck in his coat. you use those tiny fingers of yours to unzip his jacket & promptly begin removing it from his shoulders. you garble a few nonsense sentences which only your twin would understand & then toddle into the other room.

i follow.  you pick your baby doll off the ground which older brother has carelessly ejected out of the back of his tractor. you hold her by her neck. rocking her, swaying back & forth patting her back with your tiny palm. "shhhhhh!" you sing her to sleep.  you find a place for her in an empty baby swing. cover her with one of little sister's blankies & place a discarded susu on her chest.

you grab your purse & a dirty diaper left on the floor, clutch them both under your arm & toddle off to you next mothering duty.  although it is not duty to you.  just pure joy.

and this is who you are, mother in miniature growing into mother mature.  you will comfort those who cry.  liberate those who struggle.  lift weighs off of the oppressed.  speak life to those who are dead & don't know it.  you will bind up the carelessly discarded & broken hearted. sooth them with your song.  you will find a place for them.  you will gather them under your wing & shield them with your faith.  you little eva joy nouvelle, with the Christ in you, will be great hope to those in great need of mothering. and in all this you will find your great Joy.

{eva, 19 months}