Continued from Sadness Turned Into Gladness: Part 1

By: Sarah Smith

So, here I sit…reflecting and remembering.  I need a Bible verse to support where I am right now. I need to find strength in His Word.  I type in several different word combinations to search for the right one and read several different pages with various verses…this one catches my eye.  

Jesus knew that they wanted to question him, so he said to them, “I said, ‘In a little while you will not see me, and then a little while later you will see me.’ Is this what you are asking about among yourselves?  I am telling you the truth: you will cry and weep, but the world will be glad; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into gladness. When a woman is about to give birth, she is sad because her hour of suffering has come; but when the baby is born, she forgets her suffering, because she is happy that a baby has been born into the world. That is how it is with you: now you are sad, but I will see you again, and your hearts will be filled with gladness, the kind of gladness that no one can take away from you. John 16:19-22

This takes me back to when I was cherishing having Fisher all to myself in my womb.  And, if you are a mom, you know that following delivery, all that matters is the joy of holding that newborn baby.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a long, painful labor process or if it’s an easy delivery or a c-section – our hearts are filled with gladness when we hold our child. Continue reading →

”When a woman is about to give birth, she is sad because her hour of suffering has come; but when the baby is born, she forgets her suffering, because she is happy that a baby has been born into the world.” John 16:21

By: Sarah Smith

I was having a hard time finding inspiration for this week’s blog post.  I’ve been so emotional lately…April is a hard month for various reasons and now it’s amplified because May 18^th is fast approaching…what is May 18^th?  My oldest son will graduate from high school.  Sigh…so hard to say that out loud, let alone type it, as if my silence could prevent it from happening.

So, imagine my delight when reading Dana’s post from last week, a beautiful reflection on her daughter’s first year and excerpts from a letter to be given to her at a later date.  I decided to build on her idea and give a view from the ‘other side’ as my son is about to graduate from high school.

Continue reading →