MUM-e-Mail

To equip and encourage

mothers of preschoolers and their supporters

June 2008

Mother Tip

My two year old daughter looked so cute with her little clothes peg hanger, attached with a loop of string from the big clothesline, hanging up socks (in pairs?), hankies and washcloths. Oh! how important she was – and she talked excitedly the whole time. “I’m helping Mummy”.

 

Mother Moment - Laundry

 

I thank God for the automatic washing machine. Imagine scrubbing all those clothes by hand – I’d be hiring a maid!

Going from older single professional to work-from-home wife then mother of baby within 16 months was bit of a head-spinner. I had never needed to be particularly domesticated, but now the laundry pile kept on multiplying. I had to wash other people’s dirty things – ugh! Sleep, wash, clean, dress, play, feed … and so on (and on) the washing cycle went. I felt I was getting nowhere – really fast.

When at work (for 19 years) I could see that project completed or this class successfully taught, but now at home there was this blur that started to look like the repetitive Groundhog Day. So, I started to write in my diary the things I actually did. I could see the list of 7-8 things and this helped me to feel like I really had achieved ‘something’.

Soon I began to define ‘success’ by the condition and height of the washing pile! Clean clothes, dried, folded, and put in the drawers was the ultimate in success for my housewifely days. But I was doing more than circulating the laundry.

I was supporting my husband in his endeavours, providing a peaceful, clean-enough home, engaging my children by teaching them little responsibilities and enjoying each other’s company along the way.

The dirty clothes still multiply - and get bigger! But doing the washing is now just a part of life, dealt with quickly.

This sounds like us with the ‘dirtiness’, misjudgments, and errors that we make in our everyday lives – and the forgiveness, dealing with these past wrongs and smudges, that washes us clean and free from the past. Because we choose to.

That is success. Thank God.

© by Johanna W, 2008

 

Mother’s Heart

I need to keep an eye on the big picture. Relationships built, young lives nurtured and guided, and keeping short accounts of sins – sorting out our anger, misunderstandings, bad attitudes, and general sinful nature, through acknowledging God’s forgiveness and love for us. Embrace what is good and true.

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Mentor Mum Moment

"If we really want to love
we must learn how to forgive"

“People ask me what advice I have for a married couple struggling in their relationship. I always answer: pray and forgive. And to young people from violent homes, I say pray and forgive. And again even to the single mother with no family support: pray and forgive”  - Mother Theresa

A big page of quotations on Forgiveness: http://www.forgivenessweb.com/RdgRm/Quotationpage.html

Leadership

http://www.momhasfun.com/adultcharge.php

MOPPETS

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOPPETS/ - see the members’ LINKS and FILES

Mum’s e-Mail

Thank you Johanna, I appreciate your thoughts and the time you take to prepare the emails. Keep up the good work,
blessings in Abundance,  Helen Lang, Mentor, Southside International Church MOPS. Brisbane QLD

- Thanks, Helen, for spreading the word around about MUM-e-Mail – and for reading J - jmcw

MOPS Link

www.MOPS.org.nz - new look, click on a region of NZ on the ‘Groups’ page map

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May God smile on you all,
Johanna W

 

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MOPS (NZ) Inc, P O Box 12-307, Hamilton, NZ. - info@... - www.mops.org.nz