Heading South

Dinners - prepared and in the freezer. Check.
Baking instructions and reminders - clearly displayed. Check.
Laundry - washed, folded and put away. Check.
Suitcase - packed and ready. Check.
Boarding pass in hand. Check.

OK. I guess I'm ready to go!

Last summer I was contacted about speaking to a MOPS group in Florida. Though the obstacles seemed large at the time, we have delighted in seeing God take care of them. Now He's worked it out that I'll be speaking to two MOPS groups tomorrow in the Tampa area.
And I'm excited!
Not just because I get a break from being a mom for a couple days.
Not just because it's c-c-c-cold here and almost 80 degrees there.
Not just because I'll get to see my mom and grandma at one of the meetings.
Not just because I'm going to wear a pair of cute capris I bought awhile back and haven't been able to wear yet, because it's too cold in Michigan.

Those things are all nice, but what makes me really excited is having the opportunity to see God work something out and to be a part of it. For so long, I was despairing of my role as a mother. Ever since God has given me hope that He's using my children and my struggles as a mother to make me into the woman He wants me to be, I have been eager to share that hope with other moms.
I think too often we wear a mask, trying to make others think we have it all together, refusing to be real with each other. There is something wonderful about getting in front of a group of moms and admitting my weaknesses, frustrations, and struggles - being real - and pointing them to the hope I've found in God. I love when women tell me how encouraged they are to know they aren't alone. It inspires me to share honestly when I realize God takes the hard times we have faced and uses them to bring comfort to others who are going through the same thing. He truly is a Redeemer.
And I'm excited that tomorrow I get to share this message twice with a bunch of moms who have been weary and frustrated and are in need of hope and encouragement. (While I'm enjoying my own break, in a cute outfit and warm air, and seeing my mom and grandma...God is entirely too good to me!)

And when I get back, I get to go to Five Minutes For Mom's Ultimate Blog Party. Yippee!!