Lisa Judy Meghan

 When raising babies in a city far from home, people show up in your life. Sometimes they teach you how to mama and how to cook and how to garden. Sometimes they don’t know how desperately you needed them. How they were saving you every time they held your baby, or cooked you a meal, or dug in a garden while you watched, clinging to a crying baby. 

My mom swooped in when Ziggy was born. She cared for me. Rocked him and cradled me when I broke down. Hopelessly depressed. But my mom had to leave. 

While she was gone I found the women who would be by surrogate mamas. The ones who let me come to the play group even before I had kids so I could sit and eat cheese and crackers and feel some ground under my feet. So I could watch and learn. I saw their babies grow. I saw all the phases and how they struggled themselves. They taught me to be brave. To plant my own damn garden. Who cares if it fails the first time, keep planting. They taught me to raise my kids how I knew was best. They taught me how to cook, layering flavors and adding spice and taking time with it. To put Ziggy down in a blanket and let him see me doing all of this. 

So if you are a mom rushing through life and have a younger friend who is in the thick of it all, know that she is watching you. She may in fact be clinging to you and all you are teaching her without even knowing. 

I love these ladies. Even though they aren’t with me day to day. I think of them just about daily. While I am cooking dinner, or deadheading my roses, or holding onto my baby. I thank Heaven for when they stepped into my life and held my hand. I can still feel their steady grip. Thanks mamas. Please know my mama was grateful. And so am I.