Good women

This week I walked into my new OB's waiting room to find about a dozen women watching The Bold and the Beautiful. I soon overheard casual conversations about previous abortions and broken marriages. The room smelled of smoke. I am not exaggerating when I say that over half of the women were heavily tattooed, a third of them were pregnant teens, and all of them looked miserable. I felt like a child who, expecting a Disney fairy tale, had accidentally walked into an R-rated drama.

I was interested, later in the week, to read about some experiences that friends have had recently: one friend is tending her eight children and trying to sell her home while her husband begins his residency in another state; another friend, surprised by a quick labor, had to deliver her baby son on her bathroom floor; and another friend's mother tragically lost a finger in an accident. Yet each of these amazing women have expressed courage and optimism during their (unexpected and externally-caused) challenges. I feel great love for their examples. As I reflected further on these women, I realized another trait that each of them shares: each has amazing children. Kind, optimistic, obedient children! What a blessing these mothers give their families--because of their goodness, their children have also learned to 1) be moral in order to avoid unnecessary challenges and 2) be optimistic even during pressing trials. I doubt that the gloomy women in the OB office could have been raised by such women.