Way #572 Being a Mom Has Changed Me

Everyone, whether a parent or not, knows that becoming one changes a person. But until you have a child, or children, you never comprehend how much it changes you. I have been having an emotional time with a story in the news this week. A young mom, Amy Henslee, was reported missing Monday evening. The story hit the news by Tuesday morning and I waited anxiously for good news. But as the days passed, and details emerged, I worried more. Last night, her body, along with the body of another woman, was discovered. Amy Henslee was only a few years younger than me, had two boys, a husband that coached, and had grown up and lived in Southwest Michigan. I shared these things in common with her. When I read late last night of the discovery of her body, I was in bed. I looked up at the pictures of my own two boys on the wall and just cried. I think before I had children, this tragic death would not have affected me this way. But looking at the world through the eyes that look out for the safety and wellbeing of two little lives changes how I see everything. All I could think about was her two sons and how devastating this is for them. I thought about how much pain my own two boys would feel if they lost me, and my heart broke for her children. I also thought about all the things she will miss. The moments, large and small, in their lives that she won’t be there for. I thought about how if she knew it was the last hug and kiss, she surely would have made them bigger and longer and tighter, to last their lifetimes. And my heart broke for her as well. I pray that a tragedy like this never happens to my family. But I know it is simply by the grace of God that it doesn’t. So I pray just as much for her family; that they can somehow find the strength to make their way through this and can someday find peace again.