Below is Part 2 of a 2-Part conversation between Lucy, a contemporary woman, and Jochebed, a woman from the Bible’s Old Testament. Both women “lost” infants they “gave up” for “adoption” due to the exceptional circumstances of their lives. Lucy’s story is based on a true story of a mother releasing her son for adoption. Lucy knew she’d been robbed of her ability to provide a male child with a healthy, loving, safe home. She also knew about healthy couples unable to conceive. Perhaps Robert could find safety and refuge with one of them. “Trust me, it wasn’t an easy thing to do,” she mused. “Someday he may return to me, but I’ll always grieve his growing up years I missed.” “I know,” Jochebed answered. “It wasn’t easy for me either, letting Moses go. It must be difficult not knowing Robert’s circumstances. Knowing where Moses was, caring for him, nursing him, comforted me. I could love and hug him even though I couldn’t claim him. He was no longer mine.” She smiled. “He was quite the little man.” “Wasn’t that worse than a clean break?” Lucy questioned, picturing Jochebed’s daily despair in touching and hugging Moses while concealing and denying her maternity. “At least I don’t have my heartstrings tugged each day.” “I comforted myself by seeing Moses’ growth, even if I couldn’t acknowledge my motherhood,” Jochebed responded. “Sometimes when I rocked him to sleep in my arms I whispered inaudibly to him… ‘I love you, MY son.’ It was our little secret.” Jochebed suspected the Egyptian princess who rescued and “adopted” Moses knew her secret. The princess, unable to conceive children, considered Moses’ sudden appearance during her river-bath a gift of the gods. She called on Jochebed to wet-nurse the infant, and thereafter the two women formed a rare, strange, intimate bond while nurturing Moses. “I think of Robert every day,” Lucy said, unable to contain her tears. “I imagine his first steps, his first word, his first day of school. I wonder if he loves to draw,” she continued, studying her hands and recalling her own childhood love of drawing that had turned into a career as an artist. “You had to hide Moses so society wouldn’t harm him,” Lucy continued. “I had to hid Robert so his own mother wouldn’t hurt him!” “We are so blessed,” Jochebed replied. “God had his hand on both of us. He’s also with our boys. He is protecting Robert in a miraculous way, as He did Moses.” “I hope so,” Lucy sighed. “For so many generations we’ve hurt those people we should love. We’ve been doing the same thing since day one. We continue to do it. How can we speak and describe it? Why can’t we stop it?” Tears fell as the two women prayed for an end to the violence that separates mothers and children. As they departed to go their separate ways, they dreamt of the day when they could acknowledge their maternity to their sons. ---written by Carolyn Parts 1 and 2 of JOCHEBED AND LUCY: STORIES OF ADOPTION AND MOTHER LOVE are filed in the category Carolyn’s Writings. ------Place The Beanery Online Literary Journal (www.ProBlogs.com/beanerywriters) in your “Favs” list and return daily to read each day’s new post. | 
