Mothers of Preschoolers

Two of Dara`s boys came with us to a concert at Rosewood Park Alliance Church in Regina on Wednesday morning. It was the perfect setting for them: we entertained the MOPs group (Mothers of Preschoolers) and the boys played with the other children in another room.

It felt like a nice number of women to sing to -- not too many, not too few; cosy; all women, so there`s a different level of sharing than in a mixed group. As a single person without kids of my own, it`s always a privilege to bless those who a parenting young kids. I know it`s rarely easy, but it`s such a critical role that I want to encourage and energize parents of all kinds. I feel the same way about marriages, a strong desire to bless them, encourage them to hang in there (unless it`s downright dangerous), to be faithful and kind and to cherish one another.

This is why I love to sing a song my mom wrote about her parents who were married for 68 years. Here`s the chorus:

Mama and Daddy loved each other through the good and bad
When they started out together, love was all they had
It wasn`t always easy, this melding of two lives
But because of their commitment love survives

Dara could hardly sleep one night, this song was repeating inside her. She says her own marriage started out much the same way. But that is her story to tell.

Speaking of Dara, she won`t have internet access for several days -- likely not before Tuesday night, when she expects to get home to Pelican Narrows. Even though we`ve been traveling together so much and talking almost non-stop, I still look forward to reading her posts. Last concert tomorrow. There is a good chance we might cry ...