September 2010

Greyson and I moved to Norther Carolina in August of 2008 to join Clayton for his four years of service in the Marine Corps. This was a difficult move for me; even though I was the world traveler of my family I had never been so far away, for so long. This wasn't a two week vacation, after which I would return to my parent's; this was me moving out into the world with my very own family. Scary! Who was I going to go to with my parenting questions, who would I talk to or hang out with when Clayton had to work all night, where would I go to get out of the house if ever I needed a break? Sure, I could pick up the phone and call home, but a phone call can only do so much. I needed face to face contact with someone other than Greyson or Clayton. I needed someone who knew how I was feeling as a mom, and as a woman. I needed a friend.
We were heading to the car after grocery shopping at Wal-Mart, and as we passed a table of coloring books for sale I was approached by a woman. She introduced herself, then proceeded to tell me a little bit about a group she was a part of...MOPS. The group was just about to start a new year, and if I was interested I could join them at the park for an "end of summer bash." I took the invitation, told her I would think about it, and headed off to meet Clayton and Greyson at the car. Clayton and I talked about it on the drive back to our apartment; we both knew I needed to get out of the apartment, and that I needed to make some friends. The thought of joining an already established group was intimidating; would I open up enough to make new friends, would I be accepted, would I have fun, would Greyson be okay in this new environment? I decided that the only way to find out would be to join. So I attended the "end of summer bash" as the park, I filled out the paperwork and I paid for a complete year of MOPS; there was no turning back.
When I joined Cherry Point MOPS that year, there were a couple vacant positions on the Steering Team, but I had no idea what a Steering Team was or if I was qualified or courageous enough to fill a position. Plus, I didn't join the group to help run it; I just wanted to sit back and enjoy the ride. But, with each meeting that I attended and each plead that was made, I started to think about possible volunteering for a position. Over the next couple of weeks I thought about it over and over in my head, and after some encouragement from another mom, who was also on Steering Team, I decided to volunteer for the Publicity position. I am so glad that I did. Joining the Steering Team help solidify my place in MOPS; it gave me more chances to build friendships, it helped me improve my creativity and keep my mind in teacher-mode, but more importantly gave me a sense of belonging. This group was my second home, and these women my second family.
Jumping ahead now to August 2010. This will be my third year of MOPS and my third year on Steering Team, but this year will be a little different. This year I will be in the position of coordinator. I've never really considered myself a leader. Sure, as a teacher I lead children and as a mother I lead my child, but to lead adults? Talk about being out of my comfort zone! When standing in front of adults my mind is reeling with all the judgments they might be making; like how unprepared I might be, or the number of times I say "um" or that I talk with my hands. But in reality those judgements are my own insecurities trying to keep me down. We all have insecurities that keep us from doing that things that we've always wanted to do, but this time I decided to tune them out and go for it. You might be wondering what makes this time different, why volunteer for this position? There are lots of reason, but I'll just share two.
The first and most important reason, I want to give back to Cherry Point MOPS what it have give to me. The women in this group gave me a sense of family while I was so far ways from mine, they gave me support when Clayton was deployed, and they gave me the opportunity to grow as a woman, as a mother, as a wife and a Christian. The second reason, with tension there can be no growth. If you never push beyond what you think you already know, feel or are able to do you will never experience all that is possible. I never thought I would go skydiving, even though I really wanted to, until my father-in-law took me with him. I never thought I could run 3.2 miles, until I made it a goal and Clayton ran with me. I never thought I could take karate and do well, until the money was paid and we went as a family. I never thought I could lead a group of women, until others put there faith in me and I decided not to let them down. So, if there is something you want to do but are too scared, find someone to stand beside you and to encourage you. There were plenty of times where I found my encouragement and support from a MOPS mom, and maybe you will too.
It is the goal of all MOPS groups to make sure that no mom is alone. We are here to laugh and cry with you, we are here to support and encourage you, we are here because "a better mom makes a better world." Whether you joined MOPS to have four hours of kid-free mommy time each month, to make new friends, or to simply get out of the house, I welcome you and I hope that you have a wonderful year!