Before my baby even entered this world I knew I was in for a lifelong romance. You won’t find the word “
redamancy” in your typical Webster or Oxford dictionary. The word itself stems from the New Latin
redamantia, and from the Classical Latin
redamō meaning, “I requite love”. How we translate redamancy is this:
a love returned in full; an act of loving the one who loves you; the act of loving in return. Friends, could there be a more encapsulating word to describe the breadth of motherhood? Redamancy isn’t commonly used in the English language—it’s rare and transcendent, as is our connection with our children. As an adult, you’ve likely experienced many different versions of love and relationships throughout the years. But the second your baby enters this world, you become the love of their life. It’s instantaneous, pure, and magic. Whether you’ve carried your baby in your belly or you’ve waited patiently for the day you’ll meet them earthside, you’ve loved your baby before first sight. There’s no other love on earth like that.
"I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.” — Jane Austen
Redamancy is limitless, but it’s also something that blossoms from within. Because redamancy means to love fully, it means surrendering every last part of yourself to these tiny humans. That said, any parent will tell you that loving their child unconditionally doesn’t mean every day is full of sunshine and roses. Redamancy isn't just what we feel. It's what the object of our love feels: love without conditions. That means our child doesn't have to be, or do, anything in order to earn our love. We love them because they are ours. This wondrous energy is available merely by our use and conscious recognition. When we share this love with our children, we uncover our oneness, wholeness, and interconnectedness. Inside the soul of every mother lies a heart that becomes a repository of sweet memories, hard lessons, glorious victories, ordinary days. Let’s come back to the definition of redamancy. A love returned in full. With every little scrap of our hearts and souls. Our children are born of love, and how lucky are we to be the creators of that love. Undoubtedly, a mother’s heart is not her own. It beats both in and out of her chest now, but not at all with a singular purpose. It rejoices. It aches. It trusts. It hopes. It watches. It waits. It’s the most beautiful love story ever told.
"I love and am loved, fully and freely, nothing expected, more than enough received."– Amy Tan
What does the concept of “loving fully” mean to me? When I think about a time in my life when I felt fully loved, who was I with, and what were the circumstances? What makes me feel loved currently? Am I loving myself the way I want to be loved by others? If you asked my children 50 years from now how my love made them feel, what would I want them to say? Catching up on our monthly journal prompts?
Start here.
