A trip to Holland

Having a child born prematurely
is like planning a trip to Italy, getting of a plane and landing in Holland.

"But I don't know anything about Holland!I don't want to stay!" you say, but you do stay.

You go out and buy some new guidebooks, you learn some new phrases, and you meet people you never knew existed.

The important thing is that you are not in a filthy, plague infested slum full of pestilence and famine.

You are simply in a different place than you had planned.

it's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy, but after you catch your breath, you

begin to discover that Holland has windmills.

Holland has tulips.Holland has Rembrandts.'

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy.

They're all bragging about what a great time they had there, and for the rest of your life you will say, "Yes, that's what I had planned."

The pain of that will never go away. you have to accept that pain because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.

but if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't go to Italy, you will never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.

author: Carol Turkington

Happy Mother's Day! This made me really appreciate what I have and where I am at. IT's a great perspective to have when your plans don't go your way. My life isn't what I thought it would be. My dreams as a mom have changed. But everyday I learn to appreciate my journey and thank God more and more for the path he is taking me on. I grieve my pregnancy on a regular basis. I never really felt my boys play in my belly. The traumatic birth, the exhausting NICU visits, the wires, the beeps, the scares, All which I never wanted. Through it all, I have grown. I have learned so much. I am more patient. More loving. More understanding. I am a work in progress... learning to be even more patient, loving and understanding.