Thank you for holding my baby

At times people come up to me and say, "here, let me take your baby." Usually it's when she's crying and I can't figure out how to help her stop. When this first began to happen I felt somewhat defensive. It led me to feel incapable of providing my child with what she needed. But more than once, these experiences have made my heart swell with gratitude.
I go to a support group on Sunday nights. Sometimes I don't go; it depends on how strong I feel. Or sometimes how broken. The discussions, the people, the atmosphere really ground me and help me remember that I'm not alone.
I take Alexa with me, and for the last two months or so she has been getting very tired and upset right during the time that group takes place. In my mind I beg for her to calm down and hope that those around me have some compassion. They are patient and have never said a negative word about it.
A few weeks ago it was so bad that I was nearly in tears. I was out in the hall and I had fed her twice, rocked her, given her a binky, patted her back, and everything else I could possibly think of. The first part of the meeting consists of gospel study support and those who are there take turns reading. The second part consisted of us sharing our recent experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Alexa had cried and screamed through the whole first part of the meeting and I had missed everything. I finally gave up in exhaustion, stood against the wall, and slid to the ground. I held her loosely in my arms and sat there staring.
An older woman whom I had never met came out in the hall and said, "we are about to begin the sharing portion of the meeting." Tears welled up and I became literally sick to my stomach because I knew what was coming next; she was going to ask me to either figure out how to get my baby quiet or leave. She then said, "please let me take your baby so that you can go in." I can't even remember if or how I responded as I lifted my three month old baby and placed her in the arms of a stranger. I went into the classroom and sat as still as possible while tears streamed down my face.

I feel that the longer I live the more I come to learn that love can be found in unexpected situations. It seems to hide, tucked in corners of the walls and crevices of words. That lady, whom I haven't seen since and may never see again, likely has no idea what she did for me that night. But I hope that she can feel the warmth of this grateful heart from miles away. I hope that someday when she is on a late night walk she will remember what she did, and she'll feel my warmth brush against her cheek in the soft breeze of the wind.