courage to be generous

At our November MOPS meeting yesterday, we talked about having the courage to be generous! Our fabulous craft team organized a service project for the Anderson Care Pregnancy Clinic (known until recently as the Anderson Crisis Pregnancy Center). With your help, we collected 1000+ diapers & wipes, as well as other baby supplies for local moms who depend on the ACPC. Thank you, thank you, thank you, MOPS mamas!

Julie Dixon from the Pregnancy Clinic joined us & spoke for several minutes about the needs among young mothers in our area. Through several stories, she shared the importance of compassion for these moms & encouraged us to become involved, whether through volunteering as a mentor mom, donating time to the Clinic, or monetary contributions. The ACPC is funded strictly through donations, so every little bit helps.

If you're interested in learning more about the Anderson Care Pregnancy Clinic, please check out their website & Facebook page.

Our moms also watched a MOPS International video featuring Alexandra Kuykendall on the topic of generosity. She shared that she wants to live a generous life, but fear of scarcity — that there won’t be enough for her or her family — often gets in the way. Another factor that often prevents generosity is insecurity... you may feel like what you have to give isn't good enough, especially in comparison to others. 

So how do we work toward living a generous life & teaching our kids to do the same? Alexandra recommends that we:

• surround ourselves with people who offer perspective
  
• challenge ourselves to give past the comfortable... to give until it hurts
  
• identify material things in your life that hold you back from being generous. Are there things that you care TOO much about? (example: freaking out when the kids track mud in your fabulous new car? or not being willing to lend an item because it's too expensive?)
  
• identify the areas or gifts that allow you to be generous. Generosity isn't only monetary... it can be giving of your time, inviting someone for dinner, or sharing something that you have in abundance. Do you have a special gift — like baking or hosting playdates or creating beautiful art — that you could share with others?
  
• teach your kids about generosity through your own behavior. Too often we fall into the trap of setting up a "service project" activity for our kids & then checking it off our to-do list. Kuykendall suggests that while these one-time projects are great, it's the everyday attitudes & actions of generosity that truly teach children to serve

Mark your Calendars!

• MOPS on the Town (MOTT) - Wed, Nov 19 at 10-11am. Time for your kids to get their wiggles out at Electric City Gymnastics! The cost is $5 per child, & a waiver will need to be signed for each child participating. Click here to download & fill out the waiver ahead of time. (Address: 502 Camson Road, Anderson 29625)


• Moms Night Out (MNO) - Mon, Nov 24 at 7pm. Join us for coffee & a delicious dessert at Sullivan's Metropolitan Grill! (Address: 208 S Main St Anderson 29621)