Today was my second day at MOPS. Well, technically, it was my third because I also went to a MOPS at another church last week (I'm "MOPS hopping"), but it was my second time at Rez. Overall, I'd say it went really well. It wasn't quite as daunting as it was the last time because I had been there before and was more familiar with everything. The ladies weren't quite as intimidating or as perfect looking as they had seemed last time, and I felt a bit more comfortable making conversation. Although, the woman I was talking to didn't seem like she was quite all there. I asked her perfectly normal questions like, "How many kids do you have?" and "How old are they?" but she had this expression on her face that can only be described as a mixture of "I have no idea what you are saying" and "I have no idea why you are saying it." It was slightly disconcerting. Nevertheless, the overall experience was a good one, and I definitely want to go again.
It's really nice to be around other moms and hear that they are in the same place as me (with the exception, perhaps, of the lady sitting next to me). One of the mentor moms spoke, and that was also really good. One thing she said that really stood out to me was "Don't strive for perfection, strive for excellence." I think that was very wise. No one is perfect, but we can do our best, we can strive for excellence.
A lot of that has to do with attitude. I have noticed that my attitude largely affects my day and how I feel about my kids and what's going on in the house. Sometimes when I have a really bad day, it's not so much that the kids are acting worse than they normally do, but that I am in a bad mood for whatever reason. And as a woman, those inexplicable bad moods tend to creep up without warning all the time. The key, I think, is looking to God, asking Him for the grace to get through the day and to change the bad attitude (this might include playing the "glad game" which isn't very fun when you're in a bad mood because you simply don't feel like being glad about anything).
A verse that is increasingly becoming a favorite for me is this, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)
It's a funny thing, I teach my kids to play the "glad game," but when it's my turn to play, I'm not very willing....hhhhmmmm, that gives me something to think on.
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