Friday, August 26, 2011

Playdates, Beth Moore, and Making Lemonade

Last summer was lemons.  And this summer, lemonade.  The difference? Community.

Summer as a mom with young kids can be fun.  It can also be tough.  Last lemon summer, I had a 2-year-old and a 5 month old, a case of serious anxiety, and day-after-day at home.  No Mother of Preschoolers meetings.  No Ladies Bible Study.  No preschool.  Summer came full-stop.  Just me, my hungry nursing baby who needed more food, and two backsides to diaper. 

So when late May rolled around this year, I took action.  What I thought might be a fun playdate and social time turned into something bigger.  I invited any interested girls from Sunday School  to my house to discuss Beth Moore's So Long, Insecurity and rounded up some great babysitters to sweeten the deal.

It was fantastic.  The subject matter rang so true and I believe getting together as a group of believing mothers with similar experiences allowed this group to become more than friendly acquaintances that post on each other's wall online.  We experienced biblical community.  I found myself admiring the members more as I learned about challenging experiences they shared and found that so many of us dealt with the same fears.  What's better is that we weren't commiserating.  We were "spurring one another other onto love and good deeds." I hope it continues and friendships grow over time.

I'm still wiping bottoms, though one's finally in underpants most of the time, and I still have moments of worry, but I'm stronger.  This summer's been sweeter.




3 comments:

David and Kate said...

I love it! Last summer was so hard for me too... having a two year old and a newborn in a hot hot climate was difficult. I was homebound, tired and lonely. This summer has been better for me too! Glad you have some good friends.

Jennie said...

It was...AWESOME. SO grateful to have been a part of the community AND the book study. Of course, this being my first summer as a stay-at-home mom, the bar has been set pretty high. ;)

Mary Taylor said...

Wish I had something like this... I am ready for the activities to begin!!! Hannah starts kindergarten Monday!