Thankful

Today Allie and I got together with most of the women that sat at our table during our MOM's (Morning Out for Moms) program at a local church. MOMs met every Tuesday morning and we got to sit at a table with other women, have coffee and breakfast, listen to speakers, and have great volunteers take care of our kids. This program was such a life saver for me, especially last fall when Dan was working so much and Allie and I were alone a lot. Getting a couple of hours to myself while Allie was cared for by trusted adults, was a true blessing.

Here is a picture of most of the women from my table.

And here is a picture of most of our kids from the play date today.

Allie was just a little tired after the play date!

I spoke at the volunteer appreciation for the MOMs program last month. Below is an excerpt from what I said (through tears!) at the luncheon. For all of the moms reading my blog, I hope you can find a program like I have found with MOMs!

Excerpt from volunteer appreciation luncheon.

I moved to Saskatoon from Minnesota with my husband, our dog and our 3 month old daughter one year ago. Both my husband and I are from the Minneapolis area, so we left behind large families and lots of friends. It was a big change for us to move to a city where we didn’t know a soul. For the first six months, my husband worked very long hours and most days I was left at home alone with my baby. Since she was so little and not very interactive yet, and also since I didn’t know anyone in Saskatoon, it was a very isolating time for me.

As summer was drawing to an end, I had met a few people, but still didn’t feel connected here in Saskatoon. Then, a woman I met told me about this MOM’s group. I immediately called LuAnn and asked if there was space since the registration period had already ended. She put me on the wait list and said they were trying to find more volunteers so everyone could come that wanted to come. She called me back about a week later and said enough people had signed up and I could come!

Tuesday quickly became my favorite day of the week because of this program. For the first time since moving here, MOM’s helped me to feel connected. It allowed me to meet new friends in the same life stage as me. It allowed me to get a bit of a break from my daughter so I could be a better mom. MOM’s taught me how to be a better parent, a better wife, and, most importantly, a better follower of Christ. It was also a treat to eat great food each week and drink coffee that was much better than what I make myself at home.

Looking back on this past year I can see God’s hand so clearly in my family’s lives and I honestly can’t count all the blessings he’s bestowed on my family. But for me, the biggest blessing this year was finding the MOM’s program. I don’t know where I would have been without this group and I am so thankful to all the volunteers who worked hard to make it possible for me to attend.