Creating 'Sacred Spaces' for Little Ones
Creating ‘sacred spaced’ for little ones
Photographs by Elza Photographie
Becoming a mother has been the single most transformative experience of my life. I had a wonderful pregnancy and apart from first trimester nausea, I truly enjoyed every minute of carrying our baby. Even up until the end I was sleeping well and feeling rested, ready and whole. I had prepared extensively for a natural hospital birth with my midwives and various other practitioners and although I was aware that "anything could happen" during labour, I still felt as though I could control the process to a certain degree with determination and focused energy.
I, however, was not a woman who arrived at the hospital and "the baby came out 2 hours later!"—I laboured naturally at home and hospital for close to 40 hours and although I am grateful and proud for achieving the outcome I had hoped and prepared for, the long journey through birth (and not the result) was my ultimate lesson for the transition into motherhood: to know that all phases pass—both good and bad, to be patient, to be humbled, to be filled with grace and trust at all times, especially in the face of challenge and uncertainty.
And so here we are with our sweet baby Lacey, a toddler now at 18 months and very happy in our special spot out in the country. My husband and I moved here, an hour outside of Toronto when I was 20 weeks pregnant to be closer to my family and closer to nature. It truly does take a village to raise a child and I thank my lucky stars every day that my village doesn't have to remain a metaphor; that I can be at the family farm in a matter of minutes for help, for company, for fun, for a breath of fresh air for both baby and me.
One of my favorite parts about raising a child is creating warm and sacred spaces—physical and otherwise—for Lacey to enjoy and to explore and to be. It makes my heart sing to hear her use the adjective "cozy" and to know implicitly that she feels loved and nurtured in the energy of our home. As we begin to think about adding another little person to our family, I do intend to take the lessons from my first birth experience along with me; to have faith in the everchanging flow of life and to know that we are all exactly where we need to be... Together, surrounded by love, happy, at home.