A night to remember

Twelve years ago, when Will was a newborn, Dave and I would go to Mass and look around not knowing anyone in our church community. Then we would go to the parish hall for coffee and doughnuts and still feel like outsiders. I am not a shy person but people seemed to have their own groups of friends and no one talked to us. Every week, I would complain to Dave as I read the church bulletin that there were no activities for new Moms. My Baptist friends had MOPS (Mothers of pre-schoolers) and it fulfilled such a need for them. Week after week, Dave would simply turn to me and say, "Well, then start something!"

I was a new Mom and staying home for the first time. I had been a professor at a university before having Will. I was overwhelmed. I laugh at this now because one child seems so easy but at the time, I felt like my hands were very full. I certainly did not think I could "start" anything.

Then one day I met a woman at Gymboree (I was on the hunt for other SAHM's). We clicked immediately and I found out that she also belonged to my church. We both started talking about how there was no community at our extremely large church for young families. There were groups for singles, elderly, school families but nothing for us. I asked for her phone number. That night I remember telling my husband how nervous I was to call her. I felt like I was asking someone out on a date. And then when I did ask her to meet Will and I at the park with her son, she was busy!

We eventually got together and through a woman at our church found other Moms who felt the same way as we did. One wanted to start a Bible study. One was interested in a play group. So, over a matter of about a year we met several days a week and started an organization of Moms. I researched various organizations at other churches and developed a framework for ours. Our mission is to support Moms spiritually, socially and through service. I was the founding president of this organization for the first 2 years and continued to be extremely involved until we moved to Virginia 5 years ago. It is so wonderful to be back at our church and see this group thriving now!

The group that we founded is amazing. We have Bible study, Mom's journal, Power of a Praying Parent. We have amazing speakers each month. We do a service project every month and have raised money for so many organizations over the years. We give handmade crosses to each Mom in our church as her baby is baptized. We provide meals for all Moms in our group when they have a baby. We champion one another through cancer and divorce and post-partum depression and miscarriages. We have Mom's night out and book club, playdates and Halloween parties. We sing carols to the home bound at Christmas time. We do more than I could ever mention here.

The women I started this group with have become some of my closest friends. In fact, the woman I met at Gymboree is my friend, Staci, who I always talk about here (and she is Kate's Godmother). When my son Harry was born, I suffered a huge health crisis. I could barely walk up my stairs. I had been diagnosed as having MS (a misdiagnosis) and was very ill. This group swooped in and brought us dinner EVERY SINGLE NIGHT for 2 months! They surrounded me with love and prayers and good deeds.

So, this week we celebrated 10 years of our Moms group. There are now over 120 members. I think there were 5 of us at the first meeting. We had a beautiful Mass just for our group that really celebrated woman as wives and Mothers. Then we headed to a lovely restaurant downtown where we had wine, a delicious three course meal and laughter and friendship. We also presented a large donation to a Sister who helped us get started for an elementary school she founded in a poverty stricken area of Costa Rica. We wanted our celebration to reflect our three missions: spiritual (the Mass), Service (giving to the school) and social (our dinner).

The night was so special to me and so emotional. When we started this group we hoped but never really imagined it would grow into what it has become. It was amazing to look back over the last ten years and to see the plans God had for us and how he orchestrated bringing these women together to glorify Him. I was asked to speak about our humble beginnings and I so enjoyed doing so.

One of our officers presenting Sister Virginia with the check.

She was thrilled and surprised.

The original board members now....

and ten years ago at our first general meeting April, 1999.

We had been meeting and planning and writing by-laws for several months prior to this.

I do not usually write about the personal things like this that I do on the blog but I really want my children to know what else I did in life aside taking care of them.

P.S. Everyone is well here. Several people e-mailed asking since I had not posted all week. We were just busy. Kate did have a set-back with her tonsils last Friday. They started bleeding and I had to rush her into the doctor who thought they would have to operate again. But they miraculously stopped bleeding on their own. Thank you, Lord. Thank you all for the prayers.