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Thoughts Leading up to the Women's Conference
This week, the upcoming women’s conference was formally announced at member’s night. I sat in amusement as I saw ladies shift in their seats and turn to their friends with puzzled and excited looks. You see, it has been just over four years since our last conference. I remember sitting through the talks being constantly distracted by contractions as my full term baby boy was three days away from making his debut into the world. This conference has been a long time coming. There have been rumblings and talk of a ministry. There has been waiting. More importantly, there has been prayer – I’m not talking about my own, but…
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Finding Your Calling
Earlier this week I wrote a blog post, deleted it, and then sent it to the women in my Community Group. It is embarrassing when you ask the same questions for years on end only to stay just as confused. This pursuit of finding our “calling” as it relates to the local church and God’s work at large can seem impossible to nail down as our lives and circumstances are constantly in flux. As an undergrad I had a very different idea of what serving God looked like than I do now as a mother of two children with a part-time job. Back in high school, my youth pastor Phil…
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Postpartum Depression Check-in
In a mere six months I’ve gone from being a self-proclaimed hermit to having a burgeoning social life, thanks to treatment for postpartum depression and this new community group through my church. In some ways, I’m not sure I recognize myself, except during the moments after an intense gathering (like last night’s Super Bowl party) where I wonder if it just might come crashing down around me. Everything seems to be escalating right now – Wookie’s mobility, Scooby’s energy level, business during the week, my girl time, and even physical activity. Even sleep, though it is still come and go, seems to be easier to come by. Where I am…
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A Seat at the Table
This morning, our good friend Thom preached on being the adopted and sons and daughters of God. The part of his talk that really grabbed me was his discussion on how we write ourselves off as undeserving, unwanted or less than at His table. Several weeks back, I was dining at Magiano’s with a group of women to celebrate my friend’s birthday. There were sixteen of us laughing and talking as if we were the oldest of friends, and amazingly enough we managed to all agree on two appetizers, salads and main courses to share family style. Six months prior, I would have felt completely inferior and too socially inadequate…
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Bag it.
This morning as I was getting my son ready for Mom’s Morning Out, I pulled out some fresh pull-ups and he promptly told me, “No, I want to wear these” – these being his Lightning McQueen and Mater underpants. This was a pretty big moment because ever since the baby was born, Scooby has resisted underwear showing a strong preference for the pull-ups, even preferring them over being naked. I thought all little boys preferred to run around naked, but not this kid. So I swung into gear getting his backpack ready now with two extra pairs of underwear, pants, and headed into the kitchen for a plastic bag for…
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Mutt Amongst Purebreds – Female Insecurity
At Mom’s Morning Out drop-off, I am a mutt amongst purebreds. Each morning I pull into a parking space and herd the toddler to the sidewalk while I unload the baby and then clumsily make my way to the door eying all the other moms chatting in their tennis skirts or their designer jeans and blouses. I feel their eyes on me, and I think a million thoughts of how they must perceive me looking like I walked straight out of a session of summer camp. This morning I arrived wearing this: It didn’t help that my Target gym shorts were riding up between my thighs rubbing together…
