grandma jo comes on wednesdays.
angela on tuesdays, miss carla on thursdays, to help me dress the boys and to read to them. they go swimming with auntie karen, feed chickens with judith, make forts with juanita, color with jen, and play trains with amber.
other women come in the evenings when trent is late, and they help me bathe the kids and put them to bed, and i even have a friend who helps me fold laundry.
and when we go to church, joey and jin see them all there, in the pews. in the nursery. in the sunday school, and “why do you have so many neighbors?” joey asks.
he’s from the city. we live in a hamlet.
“my mommy doesn’t have any neighbors,” he says. and i feel like an empty room.
“because people here love each other, i guess,” i say. “because they love you. and they love God.”
and when trent and i have a falling out in the playground by the school and i pull the wagon home, alone, i stop at a friend’s house, two doors from mine, and she holds me and reminds me how much trenton loves me.
funny how we need to be told this, over and over. how it never gets old. “he loves you, he loves you, he loves you”
and it’s women helping women, that makes the world grow. like we’re feeding the earth’s soul with one long umbilical cord.
when women get together and refuse to talk badly about each other it’s like a sunrise. all pretty and miraculous. it lights up everything.
sometimes i feel sad because i love you so much, dear readers, and i wish we could get together, and now we can. i can run into your arms and you can tell me i am loved. and i can tell you that, too.
check this out:
the nutshell:
what: (in)RL {short for “IRL” or “in real life”}; it’s the un-conference {through (in)courage} that comes to your doorstep; just meet up with girl friends and tune in to our online webcast.
when: a couple hours each on friday & saturday, april 27 & 28, 2012
why: creating a catalyst for women to connect in real life, right where they are.
for: the women who’ve been hurt by friends, the women who’ve been healed by friends, the women who crave local Jesus community, the women who wish they had the time, baby sitter or budget for a girl’s weekend away.
how: just go here and register! it’s that simple!
let’s do this. let’s run to each other’s doorsteps, and collapse, and know there is no judgement. because, i love you. i love you. i love you.