S-T-R-E-T-C-H Marks

One day, a girlish woman looked down at her big burgeoning belly and she had little red lines.

She freaked out a bit.

"Those are STRETCH marks," her very own mama broke the news. "They will always remind you that you are a mom."

What seemed like both three days and 75 years later, her budding-adult, yet still-her-baby, was taking one more step to new-found freedom. Away from her. Out into the world.

She glanced in the mirror that night, tears staining her cheeks, and those little red lines, albeit mildly faded, spoke gently to her about all the ways she had been and was still being

S

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D.

Before she was quite ready. Often taken-aback by what was in front of her.

To her limits. In................all...............the.................ways.

In her thinking. More open-minded. Less judgmental.

Above and beyond.The call of mom duty.

From the inside out. Just like the burgeoning belly. Bringing new life.

Beyond her imagination. Who knew? There would be all this s--t--r--e--t--c--h--i--n--g?

By her child. Of course.

B

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L

D

She took another hard look at her now mid-life, bumpy belly and she gave thanks for those little red lines.

For all the s--t--r--e--t--c--h--i--n--g. That had happened and was still happening.

Not just on the outside. But on the inside. On her heart. On her soul.

"Those are STRETCH marks," she whispered to herself. "They will always remind you that you are a mom."