The Labour Of Love

Yesterday I was talking to a lady on a film set. When I told her that it was my son's eleventh birthday, she said, 'Happy Birthing Day' to me. I didn't quite understand what she meant at first, but then I thought about it and realised that even though her greeting sounded strange, it actually made lots of sense.

We give our children presents on their birthdays and make a fuss of them because it was the day they were born. This is a passive element of birth. After all, the only thing they did was emerge from the womb and kicked up a fuss. Years after that, all they did was demand food, take up all our attention and cost us money. But we love them endlessly and without reserve.

On the other hand, the 'birthday' of a child requires much more from a mother. She labours in agony as her body twists and writhes in pain. She pushes what feels like her guts out for hours on end to bring forth her baby into the world. For her troubles, her body changes for the worse from that day forward and deteriorates progressively with every successive baby. Yet, every year on this anniversary, she gets none of the credit. Maybe we should rethink this whole birthday thing. Maybe it's us mums who should be told, 'Happy Birthing day' and have a cake baked for us.

Yesterday, eleven years ago, my body went through trauma giving birth to a beautiful baby boy. The birth was so painful, I vowed never to have another child. Ever! This baby boy is now a massive eleven year old, 5' 3" tall, with the brain of an eight year old. We love him to bits. He was thrilled to have presents and attention on his birthday. He didn't get a Kelley Blue Book. He's too young for this, after all (Perhaps in about 8 years). And his mum, the one who got saddled with all this labour of love, stood on the sidelines ignored, cheering him on.

And, in case you're wondering. We did have another child after him. :-)

On Top Of The World

Like most women I know, I was sucked into the craze of the world cup. Last night marked the end of the lengthy televisual feast us and the kids devoured for the past month or so. So, Spain emerged triumphant. Now, in football terms, they're on top of the world.

Just recently, I've been looking at some pictures of some other things which are physically on top of the world (or all around us). Spain's win has put all the other team's efforts and strengths (or lack thereof) into perspective. For obvious reasons my mind connected this with the magnificence of the solar system, and how its spectacular showcase puts our minute earth into perspective. Indeed, our worries, trials, and petty grievances are all put into a corner when compared to the brilliance of our universe.

I've always been a keen fan of space pictures. I visit NASA's website just to browse their unbelievable collection of images. I'd like to share some of these with you. The brilliance of Spain and their well-deserved win was awesome to watch. See what you think of these...

The Sombrero Galaxy

The Ant Nebula

The Esquimo Nebula

Cat's Eye Nebula

Swan Nebula 

Light Echo (An exploding star)

Trifid Nebula (where new stars are being born)

Eagle Nebula

Protostar

The planets to scale. This is where we are (far left) in all this.

Isn't it amazing to be a part of such a splendid world? It's beauty is far beyond what we can understand! Congratulations to Spain. Being on top of the world, this world, must be an unbelievably glorious feeling!

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Join Me In Praying For Someone Else

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We spend our lives showcasing the wasteful existence we lead. We overeat, get fat, only to go on diets. We overspend, get into debt, only to pay back interest on money we didn't have in the first place. We like to have so much extra material on our modern jeans, they drag on the ground when we walk. Then we tear the extra bits off when they start to rip. Our cars are as big as possible. Our houses have more rooms than we need. We pay for Internet on our phones AND our laptops. Facebook and Twitter can't wait until we get home. Yes, we like to exhibit how much we waste. 


And while we're wallowing in this mess, our equals are dying of thirst and hunger. Women are burying their kids every day because they lack the few cents it costs to immunise their babies. But we go on, sometimes even asking God for more and more. Is it a wonder then, that when He answers our prayers, He just says 'no'. This week, I plan to shift my prayers. Each day I will ask for something for someone else. Please join me in this. Make a list of all the people you know (or think) who're in need at the moment. Start with one person and add another each day. At the end of the week, we should be praying for 7 people. 


Let us love life, give thanks for what we have, and honour those who're truly in need.