The Value of Building Community - By Morgan

      I remember being pregnant and my biggest fear was the potential isolation of being a stay at home mom. I was and am thankful that I am able to spend so much time with my little rugrat, but I knew that my need deep down to connect and do life with other women was going to be raging. I had heard so many people talk about never being able to leave the house once they had a baby and that terrified me. Since becoming a mom I've been learning and navigating the tricky waters of when to venture out into new things for the sake of building a community around me.
     There are days when having a seemingly surface level conversation with another mom at a park or group play date feels kind of meaningless. But, when I look back over the last 16 months all those five-minute conversations with little eye contact because we are all watching our babies (who seem to be trying to constantly kill themselves) add up to real friendships. I have women who I'm doing this WITH. They know me, not just the mom me, but what I'm made of. They appreciate that I love wine and semi homemade cooking. They understand what I'm dealing with and what I'm feeling. I can rant, text and cry with them. And they know my son. They love him.
      I am so thankful for the advice I was given to give myself a break and not try to look perfect or be a perfect mom, but to value community and prioritize making friends in this stage of life. We need each other. I need you and when you need me, I want to be here for you.

-Morgan