Anticipating how having a baby would change my world was really hard to do. In truth, I could only be so prepared for the change that was about to occur in my life. Now that I have been a mother for all of two weeks, I already “get it.” The earth did shake that Saturday morning for me.

But the thing that has most surprised me is the thing that has not changed: the core being of who I am. I am still the same person I was before. Mind blowing, huh? But seriously. There have been moments in my life when I have felt a change in my being occur–like a piece falling into a puzzle that once in place caused me to act differently, nay, to be different. And I just knew that becoming a mother would without doubt be one of those experiences. And I am forever changed, but not in the way of altering my core the way past experiences have.

Rather, for me, it’s as though becoming a mother has just made use of all those experiences I’ve had in the past. All that testing of my mettle finally has a meaning that is bigger than me. It all led to this experience in my life. All my previous heartaches, mistakes, struggles, growths, loves were to prepare me to be a mother. I am still all I was before Sun tiptoed into my world, but I am stronger now drawing on all of those experiences, stronger because of and for her, not me.