Meditations for New Mothers

The item I’m releasing today is a book called “Meditations for New Mothers” by Beth Wilson Saavedra. I have held on to this book since Quinland was born, although she is almost 13. Why did I cling to it for so long? What are these meditations of which I speak?

Each page of the book has a theme, a quote, and a reading. I think I saved the book because of the little scraps of post-it notes that mark certain pages. Commitment. Loss of Freedom. Isolation. Renewing the Spirit. Confidence. Certain quotes resonate with me, reminding me of how hard I found life with a newborn. The first one I have flagged sums up how I felt at the time:

The thing about having a baby is that thereafter you have it. – Quentin Crisp

In retrospect, thank goodness this is true! If I hadn’t had that baby who hated to go to sleep and made those first few months a living hell, I wouldn’t have this beautiful, funny, confident almost-teenage daughter who astonishes me and frustrates me and makes me so incredibly proud. We have had so much fun together in the last 24 hours, just spending time together and laughing and talking. I love that girl.

I think I can let go of the book.

• {Clutter} released: One outgrown book, two magazines, and countless emails.