Changed by Motherhood: Part 2 — Caring from the heart

Two local women share how motherhood deepened their compassion, strengthened their faith and transformed the way they care for others both at home and in the medical field.

Editor’s Note:
 This story is part of a continuing Highlands Insider series honoring mothers from all walks of life. Throughout the coming weeks, we will share stories from biological mothers, adoptive mothers, foster mothers, working mothers, stay-at-home mothers, grandmothers and women raising children through many different paths and seasons of life. Each story reflects the beauty, challenges, sacrifices and blessings that motherhood can bring.

By Maryleigh Bucher

“I am not what I ought to be,
 I am not what I want to be,
 I am not what I hope to be in another world;
 but still I am not what I once used to be,
 and by the grace of God I am what I am.”
 ~ John Newton

Giving birth to a child, whether physically, through adoption or fostering, gives birth to other things within a mother — things previously unknown.

When children enter a mother’s life, it is as though God reveals a secret room within her heart, mind and soul — a room previously unseen. Inside are treasures revealing depths of love, fierceness, creativity, protectiveness, selflessness and the desire to shepherd and nurture others.

If we are brave enough, those treasures are not hoarded only for our children. Instead, they spill into the grocery store, our churches, classrooms, hospitals and every place our feet travel in daily life.

For both Sue Piras and Erin Rose, becoming mothers changed them in many ways, including giving them the courage to move beyond simply caring for people physically to caring deeply from the heart in the medical field.

If you have ever had a nurse sit down, look you in the eye and genuinely care, she just might have had Sue Piras as a professor at Tennessee Tech University’s Whitson-Hester School of Nursing.

Piras was an ICU nurse before she became a mother. While raising her children, she worked weekends and later as a school nurse so she could spend more time at home with them. Today, she teaches acute care, medical-surgical nursing and critical care.

Piras entered nursing because she had a heart for caring for people. Motherhood, however, deepened that calling.

“Being the youngest, I never really knew much about kids,” Piras said. “I always knew that I wanted to be a nurse, but it wasn’t until I held my friend’s baby that I realized how cute, tiny and innocent babies were. It was at that moment that I thought, ‘Maybe I can be a mother.’”

“Motherhood changed my life,” she added. “Raising six kids was fun, very busy and definitely had its ups and downs. Being a mother, you get this sense of protection that I never experienced before. You love like you never loved before, and you hurt like you never hurt before.”

Piras and her husband of more than 40 years raised six children through both birth and adoption: Nicole, Lyann, Andrew, Conner, Megan and Matthew.

“I always wanted to adopt,” Piras said. “Three of my kids are adopted.”

Today, Piras teaches nursing students not just the physical acts of nursing, but the heart behind caring.

“The patient is at the center of your care,” Piras said. “You always have time for them even if you don’t ‘care’ about them. You care about people because that is what nurses do. Look them in the eye. Care about another human being who needs you.”

At one point, Piras struggled to connect with her students. One evening after reading student evaluations, she asked herself how she could teach differently. During her research, she came across a quote from former Harvard Medical School Dean Dr. C.C. Tosteson that transformed her teaching philosophy:

“The most important, indeed the only thing we have to offer our students is ourselves.”

Piras said the quote gave her permission to simply be herself and to lead with compassion.

“I had to redirect my teaching,” she said. “I had to put caring in my teaching. Education is more than delivery of content.”

Motherhood and teaching became deeply reflective experiences for Piras, shaping not only how she raised children but how she prepared future nurses.

“During the time I was raising my kids, I felt like it was a never-ending litany of cleaning, cooking and driving, but man did it ever go by fast,” Piras said.

She encourages parents, teachers and nurses to give themselves permission to put their hearts into what they are called to do.

“It really changed me,” Piras said. “It’s all about nurturing.”

Erin Rose, a mother of two and an occupational therapist, experienced a similar transformation after becoming a parent.

Rose, a Cookeville High School graduate, became an occupational therapist with what she described as “a career-long passion for geriatrics.” Married to McKinzie Rose for nearly 16 years, she is also a hands-on mother and PTO president at Capshaw Elementary.

“If you had told me a few years ago how much motherhood would change me,” Rose said, “I don’t think I would have believed you.”

She described motherhood as both emotionally overwhelming and deeply beautiful.

“The most surprising thing about motherhood is how much your heart can hold in a single day,” Rose said. “It is a fierce, soul-level connection that reshapes your entire world.”

Rose said her children continue teaching her important life lessons.

“My son is my reminder to be brave and open,” she said. “My daughter is my reminder to breathe.”

Motherhood also changed her understanding of success, flexibility and balance.

“I used to be a much more rigid person, but motherhood quickly teaches you that plans are made to be broken,” Rose said.

She said motherhood also transformed the way she views patients and families in her profession.

“Now, when I look at my patients and their families, I don’t just see medical cases,” Rose said. “I see someone’s child.”

Recently diagnosed with breast cancer, Rose said motherhood has shaped how she approaches the battle.

“I fight with absolutely everything I have because being a present mother has always been my number one goal,” Rose said. “More than anything, I want to beat this so I can be there for my children through every single one of their life phases.”

She hopes her journey teaches her children strength, honesty and faith.

“I want to show my kids that while you can face incredibly hard things, it is also okay to have vulnerable moments where we need to lean on each other and ask for help,” Rose said.

Rose said the experience has deepened her reliance on God.

“It has also driven me to rely on God for strength daily, and I hope to encourage my children to have that relationship with God,” she said.

There is something about motherhood that equips women to fight fiercely for their homes while also creating spaces where laughter, tears, hope and unconditional love can live side by side.

“Motherhood has refocused my entire battle,” Rose said. “It forces me to stay grounded in the present moment, soaking in every single second I have with my children.”

Motherhood has given both Piras and Rose the confidence to care from the heart — becoming more than they once imagined possible and impacting countless lives along the way.

“There is no way to be a perfect mother but a million ways to be a good one.” — Jill Churchill