Learning Circle

Since becoming involved with the Power of Moms I have formed a Learning Circle.  It's a small group of seven of us who get together on the second Thursday of each month and discuss an article centered on motherhood.

I have learned to appreciate and realize how badly I need good women in my life.  I need realistic women who have no expectation of me, my home, kids, appearance, etc.  And I found them.  We come from all backgrounds and phases of life, which only adds to the experience.

Since I love them all so much I decided to give them a little something tonight since I was hosting at my house.  I scoured Pinterest, shopped for ideas, racked my brain and finally realized I needed it to be simple.  I picked up large Symphony bars, came up with a (cheesy) saying and tied them up with twine.  I should have taken a picture, not because they were something special but for memories sake.  The saying was "My life may not be a perfect Symphony but I am grateful you're part of the orchestra."  I also came up with one word for each of the girls that I feel best describes how I see them as a mom.

Jennifer Brimhall- Wise
Jen is not only common sense smart but book smart.  She has five kids and home schools.  One quality i love about her is that she is simple.  The reason I chose wise for her is because she comes up with clever ways to teach her children and as a result her children are polite, very smart, know every scripture story inside and out (I've learned to be very careful when giving Sharing Time.  They can teach your lesson for you!), are all well spoken and fun.

Wylie Johnson- Endurance
I love Wylie for many reasons.  She was my Relief Society President and Visiting Teacher at the same time but she was so much more than that.  She was a friend.  She has three kids, between the ages of about 25-30 or so.  Her youngest, Warren, has Cereal Palsy but is a gem in our ward.  Everyone loves him.  Watching Wylie and her husband (whose name ironically happens to be Wiley) with Warren is amazing.  They load him in and out of the car, gently place him in his wheelchair, never act like he is a burden and give him the fullest life possible, considering his circumstances.  The reason I chose endurance is because they will be caring for Warren until the day he dies, which will most likely be before them, and they do it all so lovingly.

Andrea Mangum- Gentle
Everything about Andrea is gentle.  She speaks, walks, laughs, she does everything gently.

Mindy Hatch- True
I get to see Mindy as a mom a lot and one wonderful quality (although I could have chosen so many) is that when she tells her boys (she has four of them) something, she means it!  And she never backs down.

Bobby Hall- Patient
For years I have told Bobby I admire her patience.  She has six kids, including twin boys, so things at her house can get a little crazy, not to mention she just started homeschooling this year.  Her girls have been my number one babysitters for four or five years now and on a few occasions when they were not available she would insist I drop my kids off at her house for the night.  I have taken her up on it a few times and I am always impressed that she is never frazzled.

Anne Palmer- Calm
There are so many reasons to love Anne.  Not only does she have a special place in my heart because her husband, Bryce, is Jared's first counselor, but because she is everything a Christlike woman should be.  She has such a calming nature and never seems to get worked up about things.  I love being in her presence.  She also listens to the Spirit and I have been the beneficiary of that.  Once when she felt she should come tell me about a health insurance type deal and another time after Colton was born she text me saying she felt like she should ask if I needed anything from the store.  And I did!  Just some cheese and bread so I could take dinner to someone that night, but I wasn't sure how I was going to find the time to make it to the store.

I love these ladies and what they add to my life.  They have such good insight and I always leave feeling inspired, never like a failure or that i don't measure up.  My friend Cheryl, who I met at Power of Mom's in Las Vegas, summed it up perfectly, "When you have women who are already phenomenal mothers and are wanting to be better, you can't help but have an amazing experience."