What's the Point?

Hi. My name is Amanda and I am a mom. I've been mothering now for nearly 6 years, with a total of 3 children. I'm not exactly sure how I got to this point, but I'm here nonetheless. (Okay, so I know how the kids got here -- and it's fun -- I just don't know how I got to such a "low" point in motherhood.) I'm terrible at this whole motherhood thing and you will soon discover just how clumsy I am.

A few years ago we were living in California, 3,000 miles away from family, while my husband was working on his PhD. (Yeah. I definitely hit the jackpot of husbands.) I was a stay-at-home-mom with 2 kids at that point and absolutely no mom friends. It was a miserable existence. I would often sit on the couch and cry while my then 2 year old would tear through our tiny apartment, destroying everything in his path.


A close friend from back home told me repeatedly, "You need to join a moms group. You will have an aneurism and die if you don't." Maybe she wasn't quite that dramatic, but, in hindsight, I'm pretty sure I would've died if I hadn't gotten involved in a moms group. So as soon as we settled into our new home in Maryland, I did just that.


I decided to join the group at our church, since, you know, those are the people I see most often. It just made sense to be in community with those I was already in a community with. I'm sure other women really needed this moms group, but it certainly seemed like God orchestrated the whole thing just for me. Our group has been together for almost 3 years and I've been leading it for about half that time.


It turns out that I was called to do this. God has given me a heart for moms. I love all things moms and motherhood: the good, the bad, the ugly... and the downright disgusting. I know what it feels like to harbor negative feelings toward the smallest people in your life who you love most. I know what a heart wrenching job it is. I know that some days are so joy-filled you feel your heart might explode. But I also know that some days you want to run away and never come back.


My hope for this blog is that others might find encouragement in my story. To know that they are not alone, even though it sure feels that way from time to time. Together, let's learn to laugh at ourselves, forgive ourselves, and to extend grace to ourselves during these rewarding, yet challenging, years.