Gratitude makes me feel ALIVE!

For those who know me and come to see me regularly, I am oh so grateful for your flexibility last month! I gifted my little sister Rachel with the role of doula at her daughter's recent birth. With the way birth goes and the unknown plans of her old little soul, Maggie Marie, we were eagerly awaiting labor to start for about 3 weeks! Thus, my life was kind of up in the air during this time. Rachel's 1st labor went right on time, so there was some hope that this one would be the same, if not early! Little Maggie had her own plans though. 10 days past her due date some labor pains started, however Rachel was not very dilated. We ended up making 2 trips to the hospital. Over 48 hours of labor, her husband, Alan and I stayed with her. Rachel had an emergency c-section with her first born, Jackson, and intended to have a VBAC this time around.

I must admit that I've attended 3 births as a doula and not one of them went according to plan-- and two ended up as c-sections. I had a burning desire to witness a vaginal birth other than my own homebirth. My sister Rachel is an amazing manifestor! She was so bound and determined to have this baby naturally that she switched from a regular OBGYN to a midwife practice just 8 weeks before her due date! This turned out to be the RIGHT decision! 

Long story short, I was able to witness the birth of my 9lb 4 oz niece vaginally and it was a truly miraculous experience! I am absolutely smitten with this little cherub!

During that waiting time, I was reminded of the delicacy of life. Each moment is SO very sacred. Losing my sister suddenly really hounded in the importance of appreciating each and every moment!

Here I am, completely in love with this new little being. THIS is the stuff that life is made out of! 

After Maggie's birth and 3 weeks of sleeping lightly-- 2 nights of barely any sleep-- I REALLY appreciated getting my Zzzz's!!! I went through nowhere near the sleep deprivation that my sister did, but as a single mom running a healing practice, I definitely felt maxed out energetically! After a few weeks, I'm back to normal energy levels. I'm OH SO GRATEFUL to all those women that act as doulas and midwives. It's truly a powerful calling and amazing offering to the world!

May you all find appreciation for the little things in your life....as every little breath we take is an awesome reminder of the sacredness of this thing we call LIFE!