Before I was a Mom

Ed Note:  This was sent to me by my sister with no copyright.  A reader has notified me this quote actually appeared in a book by Mary LaGrand Bouma, The Creative Homemaker, which came out in 1973. I believe Bouma was probably the original author — just thought you might want to know.

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn ‘ t worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn ‘ t want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn ‘ t stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much..
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn ‘ t know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn ‘ t know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn ‘ t know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn ‘ t know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn ‘ t know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

Send this to someone who you think is an awesome Mom.

May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God rather than by the cares of life