Motherhood and the Pain:

Pain is a part of growing,

and comfort is a mother’s silent language.

Through her presence, her touch, her patience,

a mother gives strength without speaking a word.

Once the child is out of the mother's womb,

The umbilical cord is cut,

But the bond?

It remains — unseen, unbroken, eternal.

As a mother, I carried my child for nine months,

Felt every flutter, kick, and hiccup inside me.

His pain was my discomfort,

His joy was my heartbeat.

But once he came into this world —

The pain he feels is his alone.

No, I cannot take away his fever,

I cannot feel the scrape on his knee,

I cannot take on his heartbreak,

Or remove the weight of his worries.

All I can do is be there.

I can sit beside him,

Hold his hand when the injection hurts.

Wipe away his tears when friends are unkind.

Whisper hope into his ears when dreams break.

Be his blanket on cold nights of fear.

Be the shade when the sun of life scorches too much.

This is the hardest part of motherhood —

Knowing I would take all his pain if I could,

But I cannot.

I can cook warm food when his soul is tired,

I can sing lullabies even when he's grown,

I can smile through my tears to show strength,

And hug him tightly, hoping it heals what medicine can't.

Love is not the absence of pain.

Love is presence during the pain.

And I will always be present.

No matter how big he grows,

No matter how far he goes,

My arms will always be open,

My heart will always wait.

Because though I cannot take away his pain,

I can teach him how to walk through it —

With love, courage, and faith.