Tag Archives: heart

#PPDChat 02.08.16: Heart for Moms

This week’s #PPDChat topic, Have a Heart for Moms, is meant to flow throughout the week. We will have chat tonight, but it’s more of an inspirational chat meant to share motivation and uplifting mementos, quotes, or photos with new moms who may be struggling.

The goal this week? To lift up struggling mamas with our heart, wisdom, and wit. To show them the light at the end of the tunnel they can’t quite see yet. To share with them that recovery is possible – that they are absolutely worth every step and every penny they need to take and spend on themselves to heal. That their HEART matters to all of us.

Love matters to everyone. If you have some heart, wisdom, or wit you want to drop on the partners and loved ones of new mamas, we welcome that too. We want it ALL. We recognize that a Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder doesn’t just affect Mom. It affects the entire family. They ALL need love.

So, join us this evening as we lift up new mamas and then follow us throughout the week for even more inspiration. We’ll then share a large collection of all these love snippets on Valentine’s Day here on My Postpartum Voice.

See you tonight!

Oh! And if you can’t make chat, submit your wisdom, wit, and love below. If you’d like to email it (or have issues with the form below), send it to mypostpartumvoice(@)gmail.com with Hearts for Moms as the subject line no later than midnight ET February 12!

[contact-form to=’mypostpartumvoice@gmail.com’ subject=’Hearts for Moms’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Prefer to remain anonymous?’ type=’radio’ options=’Yes,No’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

The Best Part of Peer Support

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One of the things I adore most about what I do is getting to know PEOPLE.

I tell you, people, for the most part, are amazing, especially those who are fighting back against the hard.

Their spirits are indefatigable and their hearts are so full of love they long to let spill out. There’s a lot of laughter because laughter is honestly, one of the best medicines out there. So sometimes, we get crazy. Like last night.

Yesterday’s conversations ranged (at least the ones I was involved in) from mini-woolly mammoths to a full on Twitter-sing-a-long of “Part of Your World” with a bunch of fabulous women from the #PPDChat community. Thing is, the sing along was spontaneously inspired because I was watching a program about Mermaids (which, um.. we won’t ever mention again because yeah…).

Bottom line – there’s that tremendous sense of community and silliness.

You KNOW you’ve found your tribe when they inspire you to draw something like this:

PPDChat Woolly Mammoth

Yep. That’s a mini Woolly Mammoth smooshing Velma (intrusive/negative thoughts).

That’s love, people.

The One Flaw In Women

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A good friend of mine sent this to me today. Good thing she did because I really needed to read it. Enjoy.

By the time the Lord made woman,
He was into his sixth day of working overtime.
An angel appeared and said,
‘Why are you spending so much time on this one?’
And the Lord answered, ‘Have you seen my spec sheet on her?
She has to be completely washable, but not plastic,
have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable
and able to run on diet coke and leftovers,
have a lap that can hold four children at one time,
have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart
-and she will do everything
with only two hands.’

The angel was astounded at the requirements.
‘Only two hands!? No way!
And that’s just on the standard model?
That’s too much work for one day.
Wait until tomorrow to finish.’

‘But I won’t, ‘ the Lord protested.
‘I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart.
She already heals herself when she is sick
AND can work 18 hour days.’

The angel moved closer and touched the woman.
‘But you have made her so soft, Lord.’
‘She is soft,’ the Lord agreed,
‘but I have also made her tough.
You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish.’

‘Will she be able to think?’, asked the angel.
The Lord replied,
‘Not only will she be able to think,
she will be able to reason and negotiate.’

The angel then noticed something,
and reaching out, touched the woman’s cheek.
‘Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model.
I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one.’

‘That’s not a leak,’
the Lord corrected,
‘that’s a tear!’
‘What’s the tear for?’ the angel asked.

The Lord said, ‘The tear is her way of expressing her joy,
her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love,
her loneliness, her grief and her pride.’
The angel was impressed.
‘You are a genius, Lord.
You thought of everything!
Woman is truly amazing.’

And she is!
Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness,
love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don’t take ‘no’ for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They’ll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideals.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE TINY FLAW IN WOMEN,

IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

A Gift

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One of my volunteer positions is with the iVillage PPD board. (shameless plug, I know, I know!)

For quite some time now, there has been a woman posting there who has truly been struggling and I have been doing my best to be there for her and direct her towards help. Tonight she posted the following and it touched me – made my heart soar. We cannot fix anyone but ourselves but we can reach out and touch the lives of others – even when we feel that we are not and have let them down. Please don’t ever forget that –

Here’s her post:

Lauren, you are a sweetheart and this board is lucky to have you!!! It sounds as if you have helped many, many people overcome their bouts with ppd and you are truly a blessing to them and to anyone whose life you have touched.

Here is the story… it is of an urn.

Edward Fischer writes in Notre Dame Magazine (February, 1983), that a leper in Fiji followed the leading of his twisted hands. He became an internationally known artist. “My sickness I see as a gift of God leading me to my life’s work,” he said. “If it had not been for my sickness, none of these things would have happened.”

As a young girl, Jessamyn West had tuberculosis. She was so sick that she was sent away to die. During that time she developed her skill as a writer and authored numerous novels in her lifetime.

That great author Flannery O’Connor suffered numerous ailments — lupus struck her at 25 and she walked only with the aid of crutches for the final fourteen years of her life. She noted, however, that this illness narrowed her activities in such a way that she had time for the real work of her life, which was writing.

Some people succeed in spite of handicaps. Others succeed because of them. The truth is… our problems help to make us what we are. Those who suffer often learn the value of compassion. Those who struggle often learn perseverance. And those who fall down often teach others how to rise again. Our troubles can shape us in ways a care-free existence cannot.

A story is told of an Eastern village which, through the centuries, was known for its exquisitely beautiful pottery. Especially striking were its urns; high as tables, wide as chairs, they were admired around the globe for their strong form and delicate beauty.

Legend has it that when each urn was apparently finished, there was one final step. The artist broke it — and then put it back together with gold filigree.

An ordinary urn was then transformed into a priceless work of art. What seemed finished wasn’t… until it was broken.

So it is with people! Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, they can be either discarded or healed. But when mended by a hand of infinite patience and love, the finished product will be a work of exquisite beauty — a life which could only reach its completeness after it was broken.

If you feel broken remember… you are a work of art! And you may not actually be complete until the pieces are reassembled and bonded with a golden filigree of love.