
This picture of my family was captured on a lovely fall day by photographer Laura Conejo, a member of Mom2Mom, who took part in our fall photo fundraiser.
Regardless of the length of your involvement, I encourage everyone to take a moment to reflect on your role in Mom2Mom. My middle school choir teacher had a poster on her wall that said “YOGOWYPI,” an acronym for “You Only Get Out What You Put In.” The Bible puts it much more eloquently in 2 Corinthians 9:6; "The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." and in Luke 6:38; "Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." What are you willing to put in to Mom2Mom, and what do you hope to receive in return?
To show what our leadership team is putting into the group, team members will share notes highlighting the group’s efforts over the coming months. Next month, our care coordinator, Stacy Hagemeier, will feature this year’s service project with Margaret Mary Hospice and other ways your generosity and kindness have impacted Mom2Mom and Batesville. I close by once again expressing my optimism for the future of Mom2Mom as we all work together to grow as women, as moms, and as friends.
-Melissa
Admission: I’m a theater nerd, especially musical theater. It took SO much self-control not to sing “Getting to Know You” at our first session this semester. One thing I love about theater rehearsals is the feedback from the director. At the end of rehearsal, the director shares notes with the cast and crew of things that went well and things that need improvement. In that same spirit, I’d like to share a few notes with you all as I begin my role as director:
I can’t pretend that I feel totally qualified for this position. My time on leadership has been short, and I have a lot yet to learn. I feel very fortunate to be working with a wonderful team of women and that so many who have served on the leadership team in the past continue to attend our Friday sessions on a regular basis. What’s more, the surveys filled out at our first session gave me so much hope and direction as we move forward. There was so much positivity reflected in those surveys!
At the same time, I am equally grateful that the surveys revealed some of our flaws. We can’t make improvements without knowing what issues we face. Deep, meaningful relationships are one of the main goals of Mom2Mom—it’s what we hope for all our members. One “consequence” of these close relationships is that, particularly to a new mom, “breaking in” to the group may appear not only difficult, but overwhelming and impossible. I ask that each of us, especially long time members of the group, explore how we can be more welcoming and inclusive at our meetings.