I was, as usual, relaxing in the glider in the nursing mother's room at church this morning (and listening to the "talk" through the speakers - a very laid-back way to enjoy the service, let me tell you!), when I was joined by a young mom with a relatively new baby. She began to nurse her little one, but it sounded as though the baby was struggling at it a little. The mom didn't seem bothered, but also didn't nurse the baby very long before she got up and changed the baby's diaper. When she was finished she sat down again and began nursing on the other side, which gave me a full view of the baby's position. The baby was having more difficulty, and I could see quite plainly why, but I spent the next few minutes resisting the urge to tell her what she could do to fix the problem. Of course that would have been really obnoxious, and I suppose is the kind of thing that leads some experienced mothers to become elderly ladies who feel they need to share their unsolicited opinion and advice at every opportunity (we have a prime example of this in my family already!). Dave agreed when I told him about this later, but he also joked that I might feel really guilty if I see this young mom giving her baby a bottle next week! I suppose there might have been a way I could have begun a pleasant conversation that could have wound its way to breastfeeding...and there might have been some remote chance that the mom might have been interested in pursuing my expertise on the subject - but I didn't, and she probably wasn't. So I have scored in keeping my opinion to myself on this occasion, which hopefully will serve me well when I am old. :-) Not everyone needs to know what I think - or even what I know - and I hope to remember that later in my advanced years.
Now that I have spent an entire paragraph writing about something other than the h-word, I can't help coming back to it again. I spent all weekend cleaning things up so that I could get around to some packing. I am pleased to say that I am in a fairly upbeat frame of mind about it all, and I am feeling confident about getting the house as well. Dave was siezed with my worry bug from earlier this week, so we spent way too much time talking about it this weekend, but it actually had the surprising effect of increasing my faith. I had asked the Lord earlier in the week that if things were going to fall through with the Lexington house, he would have mercy on us and let it happen last week. So when last night came and this morning dawned with no bad news or even the slightest setback all week, I was ecstatic. It's not as if God has to operate by my timetable, of course, and it may be that he has plans he has chosen to reveal to me later, but I really feel he answered my prayer and that all will be well with our purchase of that house. Our fate is not in the hands of the underwriters after all (and who ARE those people anyway? Are they people who really move among us? Has anyone known anyone whose job is that of an underwriter for a lending institution?!), and even if our financial situation is such that they would ordinarily cluck their figurative tongues after reviewing our bank statements and withdrawal their approval of our loan, I believe that this time, they won't - that this time, they will be moved to continue their approval. (That was a sentence of almost Jane Austen-worthy length and complexity, wasn't it?) I am saying before all of you (all three or four of you, my dear and faithful readers!) that I believe God will do this for us! When you think of us in this, pray this with me! Next week I hope I will be telling you of God's faithfulness in our particular situation.
The baby has at least drifted off to sleep, so away I go to pack, pack, and pack some more!
5 comments:
Saying prayers that God is in fact on your timetable and everything will be smooth sailing! I am glad for you for being confident about your decision to bite your tongue in the cry room at church, but see, that is why I cna't be a LLL Leader. There's no way I could ever NOT saying something to a Mama who was obviously not nursing proficiently and then feel proud that I had bitten my tongue. I am the girl that walks up to new women in the Columbia Playgroup and repositions the baby as if it were my own breast!! No one has ever complained to my face, but perhaps they are just not as bold as I am? LOL
Holding the tongue...a skill I need to practice a lot more! Kudos to you for knowing when to stay silent.
Well, it takes all of us and all our different personalities to makes the world go round, doesn't it? :-) In this case I felt like it would have been different if the mom in question was obviously troubled and looking for help (and this has happened to me there before!). My dear, dear grandmother is known for dispensing her advice and opinions on every occasion whether anyone has asked for it or not, and sometimes she is right or has good tips, but it's very hard to swallow her advice when it is thrust upon you. I guess I feel that if someone has not asked, they are much less likely to actually follow your suggestions than if they are seeking help. It's not my task to inform everyone of what they ought to know, and I think sometimes it is really the best thing to bite our tongues, even when what we know might be best for any given person. Not all the time, but this time I felt it was more appropriate. I mean, I would never go up to a mom giving a baby a bottle and say, "Hey, did you know you can relactate? You don't have to be using that!" Might be true, and might even be best for the baby, but would definitely be counter-productive!
Hey Anne, how'd you know I did that? ;) And, quite surprisingly, the Mama did attempt to relactate. I wholeheartedly agree, it is a delicate situation and the approach, time and place must all be quite in line in order to never mind the tongue biting technique. I am acutally working very hard on biting mine more often. :)
Anne, that sentence was definitely Jane Austin worthy! Most definitely! And congratulations on not being like GMama
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