Today is Day 18

Today I am thankful for my MOPS group at church. No, it's not a cleaning group. MOPS stands for Mother of Preschoolers and I began attending in October 2002, when my first baby was a six months old. I had first learned about MOPS from my post-part-um nurse. She strongly urged me to attend, explaining that MOPS is for moms of children ages birth to kindergarten. During a MOPS meeting, moms get to drop their children off to loving caregivers, then enjoy coffee or tea and a beautiful breakfast. Sometimes a guest speaker comes to share her heart. Other times, we may discuss a book. We have made some lovely crafts over the years at MOPS. Towards the end of the meeting, we usually break up into discussion groups to talk with and get to know a smaller group of ladies. The first time I attended a MOPS meeting, a sweet mom of older children approached me and asked me if she could hold my baby for me, so I could put down my purse, diaper bag, infant seat, etc. and fill out the paperwork to join the group. I remember staring at her in awe...I had been doing the mom thing on my own (with hubby, of course), but otherwise on my own for six months. My baby was colicky and screamed. A LOT. I had a hard time with all the crying and refused to accept help...I had to do it. Myself. But that day at MOPS, I let this other mom hold my fussy baby. I filled out the paperwork and then began to meet other moms in the group. I slowly relaxed and found that I wasn't alone! I developed deep friendships with many of the other moms, bonding over feelings of inadequacy, control issues, anger issues, perfection complexes, and all kinds of other "flaws". We learned to build one another up, to pray for one another, and to love one another as Jesus loves us. Today, I am much more confident as a mom...more relaxed, with better perspective. I can laugh at myself, and I think God has called me to reach out to new moms and share my story...to keep the love flowing...to continue to nurture and support others through the MOPS group.