“I was prepared for pregnancy, I was prepared for labor and delivery, but I wasn't prepared for being a mom. I feel like everyone around me makes it look so easy. It's so much work. It is difficult. Having a baby made me realize how selfish I was and how I miss just doing whatever I wanted.”
“Motherhood is everything anyone ever tells you it’s going to be; it’s beautiful, and simultaneously painful. It’s rewarding, but also exhausting. Being a mother teaches you to love in a way you never thought conceivable, and bizarrely also exposes you to a unique form of loneliness. You grow, learn, and toughen as a mother, yet you also cry, regress, and yearn for maternal comfort yourself.”
“So much of the time since I learned that she has Down syndrome has had me feeling like Hajar desperately running between those hills propelled by love as I’ve sought the best medical care, juggled her dozens of doctors’ appointments, made late night trips to the ER, and learned how to navigate life with medical devices. Yet all along, God has provided signs reminding us of Al-Rahma’s constant presence. At times when strangers intervene to move the barriers I wonder if perhaps Al-Rahim has momentarily provided angles.”