The word Midwife means ‘with woman’-- what does it mean to be ‘with woman’? What does it look like, and how does it feel?   This week we are speaking with the incredible midwife, published author and poet, Janelle Alier, who in my opinion is the embodiment of genuine midwifery care.  We’re going to hear how she became a midwife, or how midwifery happened to her, we’ll hear her journey through her own births, and you will get to hear about the beautiful project that she recently completed: The Shortest Stories, a book of birth haiku that odes to the births she has attended.     This episode is going to be a favorite for mothers and midwives alike, and a beautiful reminder of what it means to be– with woman.     Episode Roundup:   Your true identity is your gift to the world.  Whatever it is.  Janelle, acting as the midwife that she is, is her gift and contribution, and what a gift it is.  What is that for you?  Maybe it’s not your career– that’s okay, your career itself is not your identity.  You bring your identity into whatever it is that you do.  Whether you’re raising the next generation by homeschooling your children, or you’re in the marketplace sharing who you are with those around you– what you’re doing in your true identity is such a gift. Next, not everything that happens is good or “for a reason”. Bad things happen.  Things we don’t want to have happen— sometimes happen.  What’s incredible is to see those very things be used and woven into something beautiful– durable.  No, Janelle didn’t need to have the births that she had to be a good midwife.  She was already an amazing midwife with a thorough philosophy.  Yet, over time, she has allowed these experiences to integrate into her life.  That does not take away from the “not good” aspects.  But to see these events bolster what was already true of Janelle is inspiring.  It’s something that we can all do with our births, whether they went seemingly perfectly or far off course.  There are so many pieces of wisdom that we can recover, and over time, even find appreciation for.   And finally, here’s to midwives like Janelle.  Who listen to their clients, surrender their own egos, recognize both the beauty and heaviness of birth, and are willing to be with women as they emerge from the chrysalis and transform into mothers.      Links:   The Shortest Stories | https://goodprintedthings.com/products/the-shortest-stories?srsltid=AfmBOoqG8GZ--HlrIJKsr-Jy9unqL2cRv1p1rUmiEDrJGvp7EE6jCz6q   Redeem ™ |  https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90 “Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”   Restorative Roots  | restorativeroots.com (use code HAPPYHOMEBIRTH for $20 off your first order)