MOPS Convention Recovery Efforts Underway...

The adventure began on Thursday morning at 8:45am. We all arrived at Kim’s on time. Packing our stuff into her car, driving away, driving back because we forgot the giant pepper, heading to Starbucks for our coffee’s and then getting gas. Once all of that was done it was around 10:30am. So much for our prompt 9am departure. Just leaving San Antonio was an adventure, but one I would not want to do with any other group of ladies. I will admit that I lost my notebook with my notes in it and the names of my sessions. So, I am writing this from my memory and my honesty. Forgive me if it does not make any sense. Try being me for a day and you too will have an Adventure!

I was not sure what to expect since this was my 1st MOPS convention. I knew there would be some sessions to attend and that I would probably walk away learning something new, but it was in fact exactly what I needed. I had signed up for small sessions that I could not get into b/c they were full. So, I took what I could get. I really did not remember what I signed up for. When I attended my very 1st session I knew it was for me. 3 out of my 4 sessions were on topics that I needed to hear and ironically the message was about the same for all of them. I guess God wanted me to hear the message loud and clear and I can say loud and clear…. I GOT IT. My sessions were on dreams. Not the kind you have when you are sleeping but the kind that you have in your head for yourself. The things in life that you know you want to do but do not do out of fear/anxiety, etc. One of the speakers said “do it afraid but do it”. I personally do not have any big dreams for myself. I’ve stressed over not having some major goal in life; something big that would change the world, something that would make a difference or maybe even make some extra cash. I thought I had no dreams but then realized my dreams are happening right now. I am doing what I wanted to do since I was a child. I wanted to be a mom and stay home. I wanted to do it differently than my mom. Sometimes I must say I do in fact do it exactly like her but I am trying. (Side note, this is not about bashing my mom, she tried her best and I do not fault her) Ok, so that being said the dreams I need to let “live” today are my husband’s dreams. He is forever a dreamer. He comes up with the most elaborate things. I am the one pulling him back saying “no, you can’t do that or no you shouldn’t do that”. I am the one playing it safe all the time. The very 1st session I attended was about communication with your spouse and the speaker said that our actions really are more powerful than our words. My actions have not been supportive. My words are but my actions have not been. Man I hate when I am wrong.

In the next session titled Women Under Construction, I was surprised about the message I got from this session. I wanted to know what I am going to do with the rest of my life. I thought I would walk away and say, “Wow now I know what I am going to be when I grow up”. Instead, I walked away knowing that I am doing what I need and want to do right now. What my role in life will be next year does not matter today. That the job I have now needs to have my full attention. I spent all of the last year and a ½ searching the web for ideas on what I can be when I grow up. When my kids went to school full time then I would be grown up and need a real job. As if raising them is not a real job. It’s a real non paying job but a real job none the less. I have wasted countless hours stressing over what I will do next August 24th when Sean enters kindergarten. As if on his 1st day of school I need to get into a suit (that I don’t own and was stressed over purchasing) and head to some corporate office. My next stress was how on earth will I be home for the bus at 3pm when it drops the boys off? The worries I had were many and I could fill a book with all of them, but I would get stressed out writing it so I won’t. Bottom line for me was this. Shooting my husbands dreams down was unmistakably wrong of me. There is no excuse that is good enough for me to hurt him or anyone. Stressing over my lack of dreams is wrong. I need to live today, love today, live it well and remember that life is short and that today is all we have.

I do wish you all could have been there. We did have fun. I won’t comment on the fries up my nose. I was dared….Don’t dare me. I pray that at some point in your journey with MOPS that you get an opportunity to attend Convention. This is my last year in MOPS and I was determined to go. Oh, I guess I did have a dream: attending a MOPS convention was a goal of mine. May God bless you all and your dreams too.
Blessings
Danielle~