365 Days, Day 194

I came across this while looking up about leaving your mark on life:

Leaving your mark

Did you know...?

That Joan of Arc was only seventeen when she was riding at the head of the army that liberated France from the English?

That John Calvin was twenty-six when he published his "Institutes"?

That John Keats died when he was twenty-six?

That Shelley was thirty when he was drowned, but not before he left English literature his classic "Odes"?

That Sir Isaac Newton had largely discovered the working of the law of gravitation when he was twenty-three?

That Henry Clay, the "great compromiser," was sent to the United States Senate at twenty-nine and was Speaker of the House of Representatives at thirty-four?

That Raphael painted his most important pictures between twenty-five and thirty?

That Mozart only lived thirty-five years?

Of course, most of us will never achieve the prominence of these extraordinary individuals. Nor should we -- we are each cut from a unique pattern. But many people feel as if they should be leaving more of a mark on the world. When I was a young man I wanted to make things happen. After a few years I realized I would have to content myself with watching most things happen. (Now I often find that I have no idea at all what is happening!)

It helps to remember that there is a time for everything - and everybody. Our time to bear good fruit may be yet to come. In fact, we may do our best work, or find our unique place, later in life.

Colorado aspen trees grow vigorously. After the devastation of a forest fire, frequent occurrences in the Rockies, aspens are sometimes the first trees to return. They re-forest an area quickly, providing shade for slower-growing spruce and pine saplings. These evergreens grow slower, but may live many years longer than the aspens. Each tree grows in its own time.

So does each person. Some people come to fruition quickly, others contribute more significantly in later years.

If you've not yet come into your own, don't worry. Tend to your work and aspirations with care. Don't give up; but rather be patient, for growth can be slow. Remember, storms and disease are devastating, but they can also prune you and make you stronger. With proper nurture, you will in time enjoy a full harvest.

There is a time for everything and everybody. And the time to begin is now.

(Written by Steve Goodier)

This piece hit a chord with me. Battling to deal with my identity at the moment, I am wondering what my unique purpose in life is. I feel as though I have fulfilled my function (bringing up my three wonderful children). However, although I have feelings of sadness and am struggling a bit, I am determined to find a new life and become more independent. This will involve re-training, and I am not giving up in the face of defeat! Having said all that, the weather is so cold and snowy out that I just feel like staying indoors and not even poking a toe out.

If you look carefully at the photograph, you will notice that it is a stamp of a fancy “D” = me!

P.S. A Doula is an Holistic Birth Practitioner.

“A birthing woman is both vulnerable and powerful, human and Goddess.

When lost in her human fragility she may sometimes need the 'Presence' of another to help her re-member all that she is, all that she can be.”

"Because women have always been the guardians of life's wholesome practices, when we strengthen our health and spiritual power, we also strengthen the health and wisdom of the men, children and communities around us.

Women are the staff-holders of sacred life and nurturance"

(The Path of Practice)

The role of a doula/birth companion

Birth is one of the most significant events in our life. - It is a powerful rite of passage for all and the beginning of the parenting journey for the mother and father.

Our experience of birth is now acknowledged to have a profound and long lasting impact on our physical, emotional and spiritual health. Research has shown the importance of emotional support during labour and birth to enhance our experience of birth as well as positively influence the birth outcome and support the bonding process. Nevertheless, the great technological advances in the obstetric field in the last century have mainly focused on the physical safety and pain relief of the labouring woman, leaving her, the baby and father often with very little emotional support.

In most traditional cultures, there would be a wise woman working alongside the midwife, holding and comforting the labouring woman.

More recently birth companions/doulas have been fulfilling this role for the whole birthing family. Modern birth companions/Doulas are women especially trained to give emotional and practical support during the pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatal period, leading to more satisfying and empowered experiences, and a decrease in interventions, caesarean sections and postnatal depression.

(http://www.birthingwisdom.co.uk/training/training/practitioner/roles.html)