Moms Like Me

In recent months I have been struck with the harsh reality that I don't really know how to relate to others very well. I have distanced myself from others, choosing solitude and loneliness instead of risking instant rejection or a broken relationship later. I won't divulge much of that epiphany, but it grieved me to realize how many wonderful friendships I have probably missed out on as an adult due to my own fears, idiosyncracies and lack of self-confidence. However, in the midst of my sad realization the Holy Spirit reminded me that our loving and gracious God mercifully heals the broken-hearted and restores the years "the locusts have eaten".
And so, with that in mind I began to ask the Lord to teach me how to have right relationships with people. It started with Facebook, with me joining a few groups intended for moms with large families. I chose a few random women who had humorous posts on the group page and I sent them "friend" requests. There were brave ones who responded to my request and I now enjoy some online comradery with them:
~Cynthia is a mother of 6 and a gifted writer, whose insightful blog posts often have me laughing. She is deep but also very humorous.
~Angela is the homeschooling mother of 8 boys(!) and a fellow University of Michigan fan who posts sweet and encouraging words.
~Jennifer is a mom of 8 who just really seems to have it altogether...I could learn a lot from her!
~Myra just had her ninth child. She's experienced tragedy of the saddest kind due to the death of her daughter to leukemia, but she doesn't ever express self-pity. She's always upbeat and strong in her faith. I recently discovered she lives less than two miles from my house!
(There are three or four more as well.) I have never met ant of these women in person, but they have enriched my life. I am so thankful that I took the risk of appearing desperate or "weird" and just sought out them out. It is truly a blessing to be reminded that I am not the only mom who gets tickled over an act of kindeness displayed by one of my kids, or that I'm not alone in experiencing days where I just want to hide in my closet all day. I still have a lot of issues that need God's healing touch, but my "Moms of lots of kids" friends are defintely a wonderful start!