Science says the emotion of love comes from a chemical reaction in the brain. I think love spontaneously erupts from our heart when we rock our babies or laugh with our lover. The feeling is more powerful than any other, and I’d like to order some more, in great quantities. I need to stock the pantry.
My first experience with unconditional love came one week after my daughter was born. I have a favorite photograph of me rocking her. The bruises on her head still are visible from the grip of forceps. After 22 hours in labor, the doctor actually anchored his foot on the bed and pulled her from my body. At almost 10 pounds, she was too big to be born without the instrument. She had a fetal monitor in her head and I was trapped underneath an oxygen mask. The nurse rushed her to the neonatal intensive care unit and her Apgar score was an alarming 3. I didn’t get to see or hold her for eight hours.
The attending pediatrician informed me there could be brain damage because of the rough delivery. I remember closing my eyes and begging, praying for help to meet the unknown challenges. A week later, when the photograph was taken, I was completely at peace and in love with my baby.
There wasn’t any brain damage, and now she is a happy, energetic young adult with an adoring family. I’ve watched her as she rocks her own children. She, too, knows the power of unconditional love.
Now that my empty nest is filled with other priorities and distractions, I have time to reflect on what matters. If I could go back and choose favorite times in my life, they would include rocking my sweet babies. As a young mother, I didn’t know what the future would bring, but I was fulfilled and grateful for the warm weight of my child upon my chest.
One more time of rocking them and singing soft lullabies; that’s all I would want. How can I order such a day?
