Sweet!

My friend Amanda is so thoughtful. 

She gave these little gift bags to all of her homeschool mom friends.

 

 

The 3 verses she typed out are good ones to have handy when homeschooling!

 

This summer, at the 5 Day Club Picnic we celebrated 3 years of friendship.  We met at the 5 Day Club Picnic back when we were both pregnant with our fourth babies.

A Sweet Gift

Remember my friend who made me a wonderful meal and brought it by the day I started labor?  Her name is Lora and she is my "Martha Stewart friend."  She cooks amazing, gourmet, organic meals, decorates beautifully, and is very crafty and organized as well.  I met her at the park 2.5 years ago and knew even before she told me that she was a fellow Christian mom, and we've been friends ever since. 

Sadly, she is moving away in a week.  I'm glad that she will now have more opportunities to see her husband (his job in Spokane won't take him away from home anymore) and be closer to her family but we will miss them a lot!

The other day she gave me her couch they no longer wanted (which happens to be really huge and comfy and match perfectly with our living room), a lovely entryway rug, some pretty houseplants, and tons of wonderful food from their freezer, including organic berries and veggies, butter, fish, and lots of elk meat!  Yum!

She also gave me this sweet little basket purse with a hand-made scarf and card.

I love gifts that have special meanings behind them, like this one.

Lora bought this scarf from an older lady who is a dear friend of her family and an adopted grandma to her boys.  She has no grandchildren of her own and lost her daughter to ovarian cancer when she was only 30.  She makes these scarves to sell at craft shows for a scholarship fund they set up in their daughter's name.

 The daughter who died of cancer was "a wonderful Christian example, always speaking of the Gospel and Jesus' love with all those around her up to the day she died." 

Lora wrote, "I like to think of ladies I know who share her attitude, love of others, and faith and share the Gospel by example to those around them to give the scarves to."

(Pardon my super-fatigued look. 

All photos of myself are scary these days,

but that's what happens when you are on the no-sleep plan!)

I can scarcely read the card without tearing up.

I have far to go in being a godly example,

but the legacy of that young Christian woman

who inspired the scarves will live on

as I'm reminded to be like her when I wear it.

And the sweet words that accompanied the scarf will remind me of a friendship that hopefully will carry on in spite of the miles between us.

Thank you Lora!

Reaching out to Other Moms

Pic from: http://www.crpn.net/Guide%20for%20Moms%20Cover%20Art.gif





The other day I was thinking about the moms all around me. It seems that each one is carrying a huge load. Whether it is homeschooling, dealing with grown children who are not walking with the Lord, raising their grandkids, dealing with tiny kids all day and all night, being very pregnant, or raising teens, almost every mom I know is often tired and could use a pick-me-up.



God caused me to think about what I could do for these moms. Encouragement is a spiritual gift God has given me and thus, I would like to do something to bless some of these moms in my life.





Here are some possibilities for things I might do:



Make a meal

Sew a fun apron

Bag of groceries or Walgreens freebies

Send a pizza gift card

Send a card with encouraging verses

Drop off a spa basket with bath goodies

A box of chocolates

A babysitting coupon

Cooking up a bunch of hamburger and beans for a Mama going through severe morning sickness





Sometimes the needs are hidden and sometimes a mom isn't going through a visible trial but is just exhausted and tired of feeling like a slave to her family and taken for granted. There are also moms all around me who are visibly hurting. Right now, I know people dealing with loss/miscarriage, dealing with pregnancy nausea, feeling overwhelmed, suffering from postpartum depression, trying to supplement the income with part-time work or working full-time outside the home and doing all the household chores too, trying to get by on one income when hubby's work has been slow, dealing with unemployment, dealing with marriage problems, dealing with sickness, feeling overwhelmed, and feeling disconnected from other women.




I've often looked for ways to bless other moms and friends but right now there is so much I want to do since there are SO MANY in need. I will be praying that God would really lay on my heart the one(s) who needs my encouragement this week, this day, this hour, etc.



Mothering is tough. Often, I feel totally overwhelmed and incapable of the incredible task it is to rear children. I want reach out to the moms around me with the gifts God has given me! I've found that giving to others gives me a boost as well! When I am having a hard time as a mom, I find that reaching out to help those who are in even harder circumstances really energizes me and blesses us both!

What ideas do you have for blessing your fellow mom friends?