In MomCo the official volunteers are all from different churches. We are not afraid to stand alone. We probably seek paths to forge alone and come together bringing our unique gifts and perspectives.
I fit right in as an outsider, in a group of outliers. A large group of women, no two from the same church.
As we started a group of MomCo in my community, the same principle applied. We were not close friends before, but we were moved by the same desire, to work together and provide this social context for moms to grow and feel seen and connected.
The reality is that we all have our social plates full. And we wondered if we are doing something wrong by forcing this social group which doesn’t come natural or easy. We attend the same church of 700 members, (of which I am not officially a member, but that is a different story in itself), and we only get together to plan MomCo meetings. We long to feel more connected and I think our discouragement in leading this group stems from the lack of time spent together to connect, to be known and get to know each other.
I agreed to help this group get started, but at the time I knew I am spread thin and my hope was that I get it off the ground and step back, into the background. I think the energy I put forth was just barely matched by these women, and as a limping project we are still going the third year not wanting to give up just yet.
We met last night and it was an absolute delight to catch up. I so much enjoyed the storers, the insight the wit and the friendship of these lovely ladies. And maybe, just maybe, we can just be who we are, without any pressure of experiencing our friendship in a certain way. No two groups are the same. The stage in life we find ourselves is so demanding – kids activities and family focus, split attention and ongoing development of self on a spiritual and intellectual level.
My heart was full and happy and calm and hopeful as they left last night. It’s difficult to get started, but once we find a time we can all make it, the friendship is easy and energizing and full of encouragement.