A Mother's Love is ...

A few weeks ago, I was talking with the kids about what "A Mother's Love is".  I'm affectionately called "The Metaphor Queen" by friends.  So how else would I explain this. 

A mother is like a shepherd of the sheep.  They all play happily in the open meadow, feeling safe and secure and loved.  Meanwhile, the shepherd is watching carefully, guarding but still able to give a bit of freedom and space.  Not much is expected of the sheep during the meadow time.  The sheep start to equate the open meadow space AS love.

Then one day, the Shepherd has to move the sheep from one open meadow to another place of safety.  But to do so, they must cross this dangerous bridge.  One the one side are hungry wolves.  On the other side a slippery slope.  The sheep are blissfully unaware of the danger and want to continue to just play. 

The shepard will do WHATEVER it takes to get those sheep back to safety.  She will push.  She will pull.  She will threaten.  She will drag.  She will yell.  She WILL get those sheep over the dangerous path back to safety.  NO.MATTER.WHAT. 

She will NOT let the wolves get her sheep.  She will NOT let one slip down the hill. 

And now the little sheep are like, "Wait a minute!  I thought you loved me!!" 

But truthfully, it is where TRUE LOVE is demonstrated.  In the hard times. 

The shephard has the goal to get back to safety.  To get back to the meadow again.  WITH EVERY SINGLE SHEEP IN TOW UNHARMED. 

This shepard will get in the way of the ravenous wolves and even bodily harm them if she has to.  She will put herself in harms way to save a helpless sheep.  She will throw herself in front of the slippery slope as to not allow one sheep to slip down that hill to it's death. 

Love isn't in the meadow.  Love is on the dangerous path. 

THIS is what true love is.  And I have the scars to prove it. 

I hope all my little sheep understand this one day.