In 1993, my oldest daughter was a senior in high school–soon to leave home. My father was dying of a brain tumor, and my mother was looking into an unknown future. And I was becoming aware that so many new, unexplored horizons were before me. That’s when I wrote the musings below.

Birth

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. John 16:21, NLT

Metamorphosis

A woman letting go of her child has pain, because the time has come to do so. But when a butterfly emerges from the cocoon of childhood, the mother forgets the anguish because of her joy that an adult is born into the world.

Reversal

A woman watching her parents grow feeble has pain because their time has come, but when her parents are borne into heaven, she slowly forgets the anguish because of her joy that they are borne into God’s eternal home.