Skating

On friday I went to a local ice skating rink with about 70 first graders, 4 teachers and several other parents.  The kids were so excited.  Most of them had obviously never been ice skating before.  Watching these kids try something new was really fun to watch.  They get on the ice and quickly look around for something to hang onto.  They were allowed to use chairs from the school.

Looks a little precarious huh?  They were there for about an hour and a half.  The kids got really good at falling, getting up and falling again.  I watched from the sidelines.  I had the excuse of having to watch the other two munchkins.  This California girl has ice skated once and it was memorable enough to keep me safely off the ice.

The last few days my mind keeps going back to the ice skating idea.  I have decided that ice skating is like being a mom...  You really have no idea what you are getting into when you bring  that sweet bundle of joy home from the hospital.  You have seen other moms and have decided that it can't be that hard.  The skaters on tv make the sport looks so graceful and effortless.You step out on the ice and smack!  Your feet fly up and your back side hits the ice.  You quickly get up and try it again.  It is either that or get wet.  The sleepless nights and rough days of early parenting test us in a way that nothing else can.  It is worth every hard day just to hold the precious life God has entrusted to you.  My favorite is hearing "I love you mom!"

I had my MOPS group meeting on Friday.  It is so refreshing as a mother to know that we are all on the ice together.  We can pick each other up when we fall or laugh together at the frequency and gracefulness of our "skating".  The "poop stories" and the "guess what my child did the other day" stories can bring us together.
The fact that we are not all alone on the ice brings such great comfort.  God is always there and He sends others to encourage us.  It is very easy to focus so much on just staying in an upright position on the ice that we neglect to help other moms.  I need to be a encourager and a support those that God puts around me on the ice.