I've seen a lot of things in my life that have impressed me. Things in nature that have awed me. Theories and concepts of space and time that have blown my mind. Movies and stories that have molded my perspective of what strength, power, and determination are. A lifetime of me saying, "oh that guy is awesome, that moment in that movie was amazing, the news story of that act of courage was insane, that part of that song was intense." 

     Yesterday, my entire definition and perspective of these concepts were redefined. Nothing I have ever witnessed, real or fictional, measures up to what I watched my wife endure. Movies and television don't even scratch the surface of what a woman goes through during a natural birth. I've always heard that nothing can truly prepare a man for what I experienced yesterday, and that is no myth or exaggeration. Even after fully expecting certain elements...screaming, blood, etc. I was still completely and utterly taken aback by the pure fight and determination that Destiny displayed. Don't get me wrong, there were screams while she pushed that seemed to shake my very soul. The thing that literally changed my life though, was her strength during the entire process. 

     All my life I've always had the understanding that men are just stronger than women...physically, emotionally, spiritually, you name it. Thats just how I perceived the "duty" or "call" of being a man. That I needed to be that type of stability and strength for my future wife. Watching Destiny hard labor for what seemed like an entire day, however, made me almost cower at the level of strength that she radiated. Its unexplainable the amount of pride, respect, love, and admiration that I gained for Destiny yesterday. Nothing else that I have ever witnessed, measures up to what she did in those hospital rooms. There were moments that I prayed for something different to be done, because I was literally afraid for Destiny's life. I couldn't fathom how a human could put their bodies through the amount of stress she did...and still be okay. While she pushed, I watched her face go from red, to blue, to purple, to just plain white every couple minutes for almost 3 hours straight. The whole time she was apologizing to everyone for not being able to do it, and it was breaking my heart. 

     I will never look at mothers the same way again. I will never look at my wife the same way again. She was the essence of strength. She taught me what determination really means. She made me question if I've ever TRULY put all my effort into any given goal that I've had throughout my life. She became my hero.- Jared