The Motherbridge

Have you seen this illustration? It's so beautifully done, and so...perfect. I know it's a bit romanticized. I can't imagine the Asian mother would be quite so happy looking, especially knowing that she'd be saying goodbye to the tiny life inside of her after delivery.

But it feels nicer this way, doesn't it? I'm OK with suspending reality from time to time.

The text reads: "The first gave you a need for love; the second was there to give it."

 

From what I can tell, it appears that this illustration is part of the book Motherbridge of Love and illustrated by Josee Masse. (Love the concept of a Motherbridge too, but that's a topic for another day.)

I haven't seen the book in print yet, but it looks like one we'll want for our collection. The book talks about the two kinds of love and gifts an adopted child has received--that from a birth parent, and that of the adoptive parent. The book follows and illustrates this beautiful poem, Legacy of an Adopted Child.

Once there were two women,
who never knew each other.
One you do not remember,
the other you call mother.

Two different lives,
shaped to make your one...
One became your guiding star,
the other became your sun.

The first gave you life and
the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love,
and the second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality,
the other gave you a name.
One gave you a seed of talent,
the other gave you an aim.

One gave you emotions,
the other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile,
the other dried your tears.

One gave you up ...
that's all she could do.
The other prayed for a child
and God led her straight to you.

And now you ask me,
through your fears,
the age old question
unanswered throughout the years...

Heredity or environment,
which are you the product of?
Neither, my darling neither.
Just two different kinds of love.
                         ---Unknown