This New Joy

I gave birth to Mohammed 19 months ago,  I've been a mother for 19 months.  Twenty-nine months if you count when I was pregnant.  My life changed forever the morning of July 5, 2013.  It's not better or worse.  It's not all roses.  Parenting is hard.  It's the hardest thing I have ever done and the hardest thing I will continue to do for at least 18 more years.  I love Mohammed with all my heart.  He is a little boy with a big personality and has a lot of joy inside of him.  Nurturing this joy is one of the most important things I can do as a mother.  I am realizing more and more that I first must nurture this joy inside of myself.  I know that this will be a lifelong journey, but one that I need to embark on to be the best mother I can be.  Bringing a human being into this life is not something to take lightly and the influence that I have on my child(ren) will be one of the strongest they have.  I'm ready to embrace This New Joy.