2 Great Pleasures

There are two things that I do each month just for me:  Bunco and Mentoring Mothers Meetings. 

Bunco
Once a month I get together with 11 other moms to eat a delicious meal (most of which I don't need to prepare) and play a game called Bunco.  We are now going on our 4th year and lately we don't even play the game, we just sit and visit over delicious food!  Some of us are new moms, some of us have been around for a long time!  Some of us work, but most of us stay home to raise our children.  We are a mixture of different religions, but all centered on Christ. 

Why do I love (and need) Bunco?  I think women in general need two things:  friends and a place of no responsibility.  Bunco serves as both for me.  It took us a good year or two to really become friends, I will admit.  Those first few times being a tad bit awkward and unsure.  But even as I've contemplated leaving the group, I've been drawn back by the fact that I really would not see these women if it weren't for our monthly dinners.  We laugh together (a lot!), mourn together, share with one another the woes and joys of motherhood, eat together, and we are all energized by the end of the evening - - ready to take on yet another day in the home. Oh, and I did forget to mention the pounds of chocolate consumed throughout the night . . . always a must! 

Mentoring Mothers Meetings (MMMs)
I just started this group in January (with some great support and coaxing from a friend of mine). This is a group of mothers who are trying to implement Thomas Jefferson Education in their homes.  We meet once a month to discuss the TJEd principles.  We've organized it so that each month we discuss one or two of the 8 Keys (Classics, not Textbooks; You, not Them; etc.) and have hired a couple of youth to watch the children while we chat. 

Why do I love MMMs?  First of all, it's the friendshipping again, with those who have similar ideals for their families. Secondly, it gives me a boost to keep on going, keep on trying!  Most importantly, through these meetings I have learned that each and every home is different but we will all hopefully reach the same outcome.  That has been a huge awakening for me this past year.  Because we are all from the conveyor belt generation, I think we have tendencies to think if we aren't doing TJEd exactly as described, we are failing and will never raise excellent children! I've been thinking about this with life in general, so many different parenting styles can still get the same results (with slight variations, of course).  :-)

With both of these groups I realize they fulfill one desire in my life:  RELATIONSHIPS!  I need strong relationships with other people and with myself.  These are two ways in which I reach fulfillment in that great yearning I have.  Both groups, likewise, rejuvenate me to then build stronger relationships in my home.  Maybe this is why I'm opposed to Facebook, it doesn't fulfill that longing for deeper relationships.  Twice a month, I get that richness of building long lasting relationships.