I can imagine your son perfectly and it is making me so happy! Thank you for your kind words, Marie. Writing this felt like therapy as I grapple with the change in our home with one off at college now.
Your posts are always true Literary Feasts- spreading more before us than we can fully take in. There is such hospitality in an abundance shared. Thank you for all of this.
On Friday, as we drove nothe to TN for one son to compete in 5 cycling races, another son pumped his fist wildly at a truck driver who pulled his horn so satisfactorily. He was delighted, and so was I.😊
Beautiful, Abigail. Your poem sketches out specific ways motherhood changes us if we let it. Love is always transformative which validates the chimera imagery. But how it transforms us is bit always a given. Some mothers do not respond well to the change. My own mother struggles and is for me proof that mother love, like any catalyst, can disorder a person as much as it orders others. Lewis shows that in The Great Divorce.
I also geeked out on microchimerism this year! A friend who was pregnant mentioned it in passing and I was gobsmacked. I wrote a poem and meditation on it back in May - motherhood, I think I called it. Or something like that. If you read it, I'd love to know what you think. The phenomenon is fascinating to me.
I bet YOUR essay was what started me down the rabbit trail of microchimerism! I just went and reread your essay. Absolutely beautiful, friend. Thank you for reminding me to go read it again. I couldn't quite trace why I started reading about this topic. My husband tends to be the one to send me these sorts of things, but I couldn't find the source for this one. I love the way our interests and questions and pursuits can influence one another. It all feels so much more symbiotic than competitive, which is what I love about Substack. I'm horrible at networking in the proper sense, but I love the sense of shared purpose with other writers here. Your comment makes me reflect on the ways in which mother love can be disordered. It's so true. I have found motherhood to free me from so much. The deep discontent I felt with my appearance as a longtime acne sufferer almost disappeared overnight when I looked at my newborn. I remember wondering how something so inconsequential could ever bother me again. It sounds strange to put into words, but I was overwhelmed with a deep gratitude for my body that has stayed with me since that moment. I love my body, and the acne scars seem about as important as tracing ant trails across the face of a mountain. The mountain of gratitude I felt at that moment of meeting my newborn has remained with me. I was thinking about microchimerism during World Cup when I was screaming and jumping up and down with the boys, and I wondered if it was their DNA inside me making me feel so passionately interested in something I knew nothing about before having kids. I have a feeling I am misinterpreting the science, but as you say, the phenomenon is truly fascinating.
Misinterpreting? Maybe. But not misapplying. There is spiritual application in all of creation. We are meant to connect the physical to the transcendent. Its what its here for! To put a spin on what you said, the two (physical and spiritual) are so much more symbiotic than competitive. Exhibit A: us.
LOVE this, friend! Misinterpreting but not misapplying. The symbiosis between the physical and spiritual is giving me chills: these connections are my favorite part about writing. I almost can't see them until I've written about them.
Yes!! Writing clarifies so much for me. Sometimes I go back and read what I wrote and am shocked that I managed to be that clear. My moment to moment mental life is a junk drawer. 😁
This was so sweet and perfect for me to read tonight, thank you. We have been doing some bedroom rearrangements and it has been very hard to figure out how to mix and divide the rowdy, hilarious, sweet, but very much in need of sleep bunch of little boys! The thought of college drop off is a good, weighty one. You and your family are in my prayers as you go through the exciting transition.
I’m also honored that you shared my poem and note here! Alongside Hannah the poker of toes and other such celebrities.
Oh my goodness! The bedroom rearrangement is a WHOLE thing! Praying so much grace and humor for you, friend. Thank you for your prayers. I can hardly believe that we are already here. My mom was commenting to me when I saw her this week that my community of Substack friends has been a source of joy in the midst of all these transitions we've had this year, and I was reflecting on God's faithfulness for a Substack community that feels more like penpals or long-distance friends than impersonal internet accounts. Thank you for being here, Leah. I am grateful for your voice and your presence.
So sweet that your mom recognizes that and shares it with you. You posted about not knowing Nara Smith the other day (I only learned about her some time ago when tradwives were in a discourse cycle) and I thought, “She’s on the internet, but not of it,” which is a salt and light for the rest of us. :)
There's something really beautiful about microchimerism and the idea that not only is part of a mother in her child, but a part of that child remains in the mother. I think your poem wonderfully captured the feeling of how parenthood changes us.
Interestingly, a woman at my church recently shared her take on microchimerism. She took the verse about God not letting His holy one see corruption and the idea implicit in microchimerism, that part of Christ would have remained in His mother, as a sort of scientific justification for the Assumption of Mary.
That is fascinating, Daniel! As a Protestant, I did not see that connection coming, but now I am going to be reading my Bible and thinking about this through that lens. I always thought parents were getting involved with their children's activities from a place of obligation or pity, and I still remember the great surprise I had when my sons went out for T-ball and soccer for the first time and I then realized that not only did I WANT to watch their fumbling attempts, but the entire sport had somehow become baptized in a new level of interest and meaning. It is wild to become so stretched out of shape (not only through the physical act of pregnancy, but through the emotional investment in their interests and endeavors) and to realize you have become more the person you always wanted to be. Left to myself, I would have reread Austen and Lewis on repeat and failed to see beauty in insect collections and baseball games and jam sessions. Thank you for reading! And thank you for sharing your own poem which has lingered in my mind this week.
I feel like Lewis would be really proud of the way you've handled the data. It's fascinating to consider how we are interwoven in the lives of our children. I really enjoyed this one, Abigail. Looking forward to meditating on it over the weekend. I will definitely be coming back to read this more than once.
So fascinating! I need to learn more about this topic because I keep thinking about it throughout my mundane life and wondering how it affects us and whether I am understanding it correctly. Even if the swapped DNA isn't the only thing at play, it is remarkable how much I find my interests broadened and expanded by these boys. I NEVER would have cared about the World Cup games before meeting my sons. It is remarkable that I not only watch the games but find myself cheering and screaming with genuine excitement. LOL I think watching them play soccer and football has taught me to enjoy watching it on television in a way that nothing else could have (though to be honest, I always have a book in my hand, and I do go back and forth a fair amount). Thank you for your faithful readership and engagement, Sharon. I am thankful for you!
I can imagine your son perfectly and it is making me so happy! Thank you for your kind words, Marie. Writing this felt like therapy as I grapple with the change in our home with one off at college now.
Your posts are always true Literary Feasts- spreading more before us than we can fully take in. There is such hospitality in an abundance shared. Thank you for all of this.
On Friday, as we drove nothe to TN for one son to compete in 5 cycling races, another son pumped his fist wildly at a truck driver who pulled his horn so satisfactorily. He was delighted, and so was I.😊
beautiful!
Thank you, Tina!
Beautiful, Abigail. Your poem sketches out specific ways motherhood changes us if we let it. Love is always transformative which validates the chimera imagery. But how it transforms us is bit always a given. Some mothers do not respond well to the change. My own mother struggles and is for me proof that mother love, like any catalyst, can disorder a person as much as it orders others. Lewis shows that in The Great Divorce.
I also geeked out on microchimerism this year! A friend who was pregnant mentioned it in passing and I was gobsmacked. I wrote a poem and meditation on it back in May - motherhood, I think I called it. Or something like that. If you read it, I'd love to know what you think. The phenomenon is fascinating to me.
I bet YOUR essay was what started me down the rabbit trail of microchimerism! I just went and reread your essay. Absolutely beautiful, friend. Thank you for reminding me to go read it again. I couldn't quite trace why I started reading about this topic. My husband tends to be the one to send me these sorts of things, but I couldn't find the source for this one. I love the way our interests and questions and pursuits can influence one another. It all feels so much more symbiotic than competitive, which is what I love about Substack. I'm horrible at networking in the proper sense, but I love the sense of shared purpose with other writers here. Your comment makes me reflect on the ways in which mother love can be disordered. It's so true. I have found motherhood to free me from so much. The deep discontent I felt with my appearance as a longtime acne sufferer almost disappeared overnight when I looked at my newborn. I remember wondering how something so inconsequential could ever bother me again. It sounds strange to put into words, but I was overwhelmed with a deep gratitude for my body that has stayed with me since that moment. I love my body, and the acne scars seem about as important as tracing ant trails across the face of a mountain. The mountain of gratitude I felt at that moment of meeting my newborn has remained with me. I was thinking about microchimerism during World Cup when I was screaming and jumping up and down with the boys, and I wondered if it was their DNA inside me making me feel so passionately interested in something I knew nothing about before having kids. I have a feeling I am misinterpreting the science, but as you say, the phenomenon is truly fascinating.
Misinterpreting? Maybe. But not misapplying. There is spiritual application in all of creation. We are meant to connect the physical to the transcendent. Its what its here for! To put a spin on what you said, the two (physical and spiritual) are so much more symbiotic than competitive. Exhibit A: us.
LOVE this, friend! Misinterpreting but not misapplying. The symbiosis between the physical and spiritual is giving me chills: these connections are my favorite part about writing. I almost can't see them until I've written about them.
Yes!! Writing clarifies so much for me. Sometimes I go back and read what I wrote and am shocked that I managed to be that clear. My moment to moment mental life is a junk drawer. 😁
Completely agree. Sometimes when I reread something I wrote, I think the muse must be real.
This was so sweet and perfect for me to read tonight, thank you. We have been doing some bedroom rearrangements and it has been very hard to figure out how to mix and divide the rowdy, hilarious, sweet, but very much in need of sleep bunch of little boys! The thought of college drop off is a good, weighty one. You and your family are in my prayers as you go through the exciting transition.
I’m also honored that you shared my poem and note here! Alongside Hannah the poker of toes and other such celebrities.
"Hannah the poker of toes" may have to be my new bio.
One of your many cases of “Some people don’t write about their personal lives, but those people aren’t funny.”
Oh my goodness! The bedroom rearrangement is a WHOLE thing! Praying so much grace and humor for you, friend. Thank you for your prayers. I can hardly believe that we are already here. My mom was commenting to me when I saw her this week that my community of Substack friends has been a source of joy in the midst of all these transitions we've had this year, and I was reflecting on God's faithfulness for a Substack community that feels more like penpals or long-distance friends than impersonal internet accounts. Thank you for being here, Leah. I am grateful for your voice and your presence.
So sweet that your mom recognizes that and shares it with you. You posted about not knowing Nara Smith the other day (I only learned about her some time ago when tradwives were in a discourse cycle) and I thought, “She’s on the internet, but not of it,” which is a salt and light for the rest of us. :)
Oh Leah, you are so encouraging! I hope I can meet you IRL someday and give you a hug. 💚
There's something really beautiful about microchimerism and the idea that not only is part of a mother in her child, but a part of that child remains in the mother. I think your poem wonderfully captured the feeling of how parenthood changes us.
Interestingly, a woman at my church recently shared her take on microchimerism. She took the verse about God not letting His holy one see corruption and the idea implicit in microchimerism, that part of Christ would have remained in His mother, as a sort of scientific justification for the Assumption of Mary.
That is fascinating, Daniel! As a Protestant, I did not see that connection coming, but now I am going to be reading my Bible and thinking about this through that lens. I always thought parents were getting involved with their children's activities from a place of obligation or pity, and I still remember the great surprise I had when my sons went out for T-ball and soccer for the first time and I then realized that not only did I WANT to watch their fumbling attempts, but the entire sport had somehow become baptized in a new level of interest and meaning. It is wild to become so stretched out of shape (not only through the physical act of pregnancy, but through the emotional investment in their interests and endeavors) and to realize you have become more the person you always wanted to be. Left to myself, I would have reread Austen and Lewis on repeat and failed to see beauty in insect collections and baseball games and jam sessions. Thank you for reading! And thank you for sharing your own poem which has lingered in my mind this week.
I feel like Lewis would be really proud of the way you've handled the data. It's fascinating to consider how we are interwoven in the lives of our children. I really enjoyed this one, Abigail. Looking forward to meditating on it over the weekend. I will definitely be coming back to read this more than once.
So fascinating! I need to learn more about this topic because I keep thinking about it throughout my mundane life and wondering how it affects us and whether I am understanding it correctly. Even if the swapped DNA isn't the only thing at play, it is remarkable how much I find my interests broadened and expanded by these boys. I NEVER would have cared about the World Cup games before meeting my sons. It is remarkable that I not only watch the games but find myself cheering and screaming with genuine excitement. LOL I think watching them play soccer and football has taught me to enjoy watching it on television in a way that nothing else could have (though to be honest, I always have a book in my hand, and I do go back and forth a fair amount). Thank you for your faithful readership and engagement, Sharon. I am thankful for you!