Recap of October meeting

We had a fabulous meeting last week with Sister Rebecca. We sang, we prayed, we looked inside ourselves, and we laughed like you wouldn't believe (Sr. Rebecca is a riot) all in the course of 2 short hours. We had members attend whom we haven't seen in years--it was wonderful! I want to thank Elaine Kahn for organizing this program. Elaine is a fairly new member who has stepped up to the "spiritual plate," so to speak, and she has terrific ideas and contacts. You will be hearing more from her in coming months regarding spiritual programs and events. In fact, Elaine is working with me on the MOMs Sharing Circle, which we plan to get started this month. We will spend some more time with the "mid life transitions" topic which Sr. Rebecca spoke to us about--in fact, Sr. Rebecca will be sharing some materials and ideas. We will meet every other month, and moms are welcome to join at any time (each meeting will be self-contained, so you do not need to attend each one to get something out of it). We will send out a separate email about his later this week.

November happenings

For the November 29th meeting, we will be having a knitting/craft/projects night. Laura Hipp will once again lead the knitting for those who are interested. Other options are to bring another craft (photos, scrapbooking, etc.) or a project (maybe a start on Christmas cards) to work on. Come relax and socialize all the while getting something productive done.

You will receive further communication about several social events, community service, and MOMs Sharing Circle for this month. These plans are still being finalized.

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Warmest Regards,

Gina

Recap of September meeting

During our September meeting last week, we enjoyed an excellent talk by Kip Jones, a warm and charismatic bible study leader. She gave us examples from the Bible of inspirational women who had such complete faith in God and Jesus, who asked specifically for what they wanted and were granted those requests. She encouraged us to do the same in our prayers - to ask specifically for what we need and to wait for an answer. �Be specific and be persistent� are two key messages that the Bible stories conveyed about these women and about prayer in general. I believe all the moms who attended left with something to apply to their own prayer life. A big thank you to Monisha for coordinating this program. Thank you to all who contributed to the Birthday Boxes. Please contact Joyce if you have anything further to donate.

Update on MOMs Sharing Circle

We have a small group of moms interested in this separate sharing group which will meet every other month to focus on ourselves as women, not just on the roles that we play. We will begin meeting in November and will send out the date and topic later this month. Interested moms may join at any time. There is no preparation for this group and each meeting will revolve around a stand alone topic.

Coming Events

Friday, 10/21/05, 7 pm - MOMs Night Out at Monisha's for homecooked Indian food

Sunday, 10/23/05, 11:30 am - Family Outing/Pumpkin carving with Christian Family Movement (CFM) at Jenny Strand Park. Bring your pumpkins, carving materials, and a picnic lunch (or pick up some fast food if that's easier). Also, please bring a dessert to share. Seperate email will be sent out with further details.

Tuesday, 10/25/05, 7 pm - October MOMs meeting - please note: different time schedule and location

Sister Rebecca of St. Simon Parish in Los Altos will be speaking to us about midlife transitions (not to be confused with midlife crisis). We will hold the meeting in the Queen of Apostles Chapel and she will speak to us from 7:15-9:15 pm. [Our customary half hour of arrival and socializing from 7-7:30 pm has been curtailed to 15 minutes. Please do your best to be on time.]

Here is a description, in Sister Rebecca's words, about her presentation to us:

The midlife years are usually between the years of 35-55. Midlife is different than middle age. Middle age and the following elder years are the happy result of a successful midlife passage!

Midlife is a very particular time in our lives when we are being summoned to grow and change. Sometimes it is an unexpected crisis or gift (loss of job, loss of a loved one, unexpected illness or move, a spiritual awakening that shakes my faith, birth of a child, moving into a new beautiful home, increased or decreased financial security, etc.) that literally throws us into midlife and we find ourselves asking "What is life all about anyway? What really are the important things? What do I value? Who am I really? Why am I here? Am I happy? Who do I really want to be with? May God be calling me to do something and I am missing it?"

Midlife beckons one inward. It is a move to interiority, a passage to the deeper places where we discover our authenticity, where we realize both our limitations and our grandeur.

It is in our midlife years that we journey to our deepest and truest self and encounter our God in the fullest sense. We evaluate our goals, hopes, dreams, beliefs, behaviors, choices and experiences--all that has marked us and contributed to the person we have become--and we ask ourselves, "Is this the person I want to be in the future?"

Welcome Note

Even if you haven�t joined us in a long time, feel free to come to our MOM�s meetings or events anytime. New and returning moms are always welcome. Hope to see you this month.