I woke up, threw on my running gear, and headed out for a short run. This run was different though. I was looking at a beautiful, still lake surrounded by tall pine trees. And as I approached a monster hill, feeling the pine needles crunching under my feet, it struck me that I felt at home.
You see, I grew up in the piney woods of east Texas and I spent every school vacation at the nearby lake. The sights and sounds were all very familiar and comforting to my weary soul.
Months before, I received an invitation to attend the MomLife Bootcamp with my very dear friend and MomLife Today blogger, Julia DesCarpentrie. I jumped at the chance to spend an entire weekend with my "sister" sans kids no less. (I think this is the first time we have ever been together with none of our seven combined kids in tow.) But what I didn't know at the time was how God would refresh this tired momma.
I confess that my original reason for attending this conference was purely to see my friend. I enjoy spending hours talking about everything from food prep to disciplining kids to how to love our husbands. She is the big sister I never had and my go to mommy expert. If I don't know what to do, I pick up the phone and call her! (Seriously, Julia is a mommy expert and with 5 kids ranging from almost 14 to 4 plus the many she and her husband have fostered, she should be.)
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| Horrible picture! It was taken during the Dance Party but it was the only one I took with Julia. |
The weekend was refreshing and exciting for so many reason.
First, it was hosted by
MomLife Today. If you are a mom in any stage and don't know about MomLife Today, check out the link above. This ministry blesses me with great advice and a community of mothers who are all striving to live out our faith in our homes. I personally follow the blog via
Bloglovin as well as on
Facebook. To add to the excitement of the weekend, I was able to see many familiar faces from my days working at
FamilyLife (parent company to MomLife) including one of the MomLife Today founders, Tracey Eyster.
Second, the weekend was held at
Pine Cove, a Christian camp nestled near a lake in east Texas, which is exactly why I loved every minute of my stay there! I didn't know much about Pine Cove before attending expect that my husband had been there for camp while growing up. It's a great place and I fully plan on taking my whole family to Family Camp soon!
Third, I loved rooming with new faces. I was able to meet some great new friends, two of whom also write for the MomLife Today blog. I enjoy meeting new people but I really enjoy meeting new women! I love girl time and it's always fun to share stories and connect over our lives as believers and moms.
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| New friends…Carrie Childress and Kelcie Huffstickler (Follow her on her personal blog www.thisbeautifulinheritance.com or on MomLife Today) |
Lastly, I was encouraged in my role as mom. The work we moms do at home is often thankless, mundane, and repetitive. It can feel meaningless. I also find myself constantly comparing myself to other moms…especially moms who are more "fun". But in a talk from
Susan Merrill of iMom, I was reminded that God gave these kids to me…not to someone else. God chose me to be Caden and Brynna's mom before He flung the stars in the sky. He knew what they would need and who am I to question His decision? So, when doubt comes in or I look at another mom and think "I should be more like her", I can rest in the fact that I am me, God made me, and He chose me to love and parent His creations.
It's a big job.
It's a hard job.
It's often a thankless, mundane, repetitive job (oh, didn't I say that already? wink wink).
But it's my job. Given to me by the God of the universe, the Almighty.
So, as I was reminded during worship when we sang Dessert Song by Hillsong United..
"I know I'm filled to be emptied again"
God filled me up so that I could come home and be a better mom. I plan to do just that.