'Mommy, it's your gradulation day!'

"Wake up buddy. It's time to get up, we have a busy day ahead of us!" "Mommy, it's your gradulation day!" Cutest thing I've heard him say in a long time........gradulation. He doesn't know it but he took congratulation and graduation and made up his own word, gradulation. I couldn't get enough of him saying that word all day long. He makes me smile.

Yesterday was a day that has been years in the making, literally. It was exactly five years ago to the day that I crossed the stage at my community college graduation and yesterday was the day I crossed the stage and earned my bachelors degree. So crazy that it finally happened, I finally made. I never thought this day would come. So many hurdles, ups & downs, challenges.......you name it. But I made it, I did it, and my boy was there to see me! I had to make sure he could spot me in the crowd of 1,106 graduates at the ceremony so I decorated my cap with something that's very fitting for him right now. I was Spider-Mom!

 Our day started out with a brunch for all the online graduates which ended up being a lot of fun. Even my boy got his own goodie bag filled with crayons and coloring pages. He was excited that he got a gift! After brunch we had a couple hours of down time before the ceremony so we rested of course as we knew the ceremony was going to be long, which it was! I managed to stick it out to the end, even though lots of other graduates left after they walked across the stage. It was a great day, it really was, and I'm very thankful and glad that I decided to walk. After all those years of work, I needed to do it and I wanted my boy to see my do it and know that you can do whatever you put your mind to, not matter how old you are!

Jesus Is There........Do You See Him?

Jesus is in this picture.......do you see him? He's sitting at the table there on the bottom right, next to the lady in blue. He's also sitting at the table in the very middle of the room as well. And wait, there I see him at the far left table as well. Do you see him?

This was lunch on Saturday at a single mom event at my church. The moms spent the morning being loved on with breakfast, hair cuts, massages, facials, make & take items, and a FREE garage sale area or Abundant Blessings as we called it. You should have seen that place. IT.WAS.AWESOME! Do you know what my favorite part about the entire morning was? Okay, I have two favorite parts of the morning. One of my favorite parts was the prayer room. Every single time I walked by that room there were women in there. They were opening their hearts to these complete strangers who were there to pray with them, for them, and over them. It was truly amazing to see! I have goosebumps now just writing about it. It was such an amazing site to see. My other favorite part of the event was this lunch. After all the fun stuff ended the moms got to sit down with one another (and a volunteer table host) to have a delicious lunch and connect with each other. Do you know who showed up that day throughout the morning and again at lunch? Jesus! Man was he ever present in the building that day. I can't even put into words to try and explain how present he was that day. It was spectacular, amazing, glorious, and so much more! I loved every minute of that morning. All the hard work, the physical labor, the planning.......every part of it was more than worth it for Jesus to show up and he did!

Lunch from a different view.

We incorporated coloring place mats on the tables so the moms could sit, relax, and color in between  the fun things they were doing and the moms really seemed to enjoy that!

I loved the way the room looked. Elegant and classy!

Here it is.........the Abundant Blessings area. This picture doesn't even do the room justice. It was packed full of so much stuff!

Centerpieces

Breakfast - which also included a yogurt bar.

Blessing the Blessing Bags

I stood in my kitchen last night looking at these bags and I was overcome with so much emotion. The only thing I knew to do was pray. Pray for each of the mamas that will be receiving one of these on Saturday. Pray for them and their children. Pray for the team of volunteers that will be there to help make this possible. But most of all I prayed that God will meet each and every one of these ladies right where they are when they walk in the door on Saturday morning and that they see Jesus wherever they look and that they feel Jesus with every conversation they have. I pray He is with them.

Saturday has been a long time coming. Close to a year as a matter of fact, for me that is. I've had the privilege of attending a Single Moms' Morning Out event twice in the past four years and God tugged on my heart that very first time about doing something similar through my church and again last year when I attended the same event for a second time. It was time. I knew God was calling me to do this, even after that first initial tug, but timing wasn't always right. Being a single mom, working full time, and going to school part time didn't leave me much time to do anything else.......let alone plan this type of event. And if I'm completely honest I thought God was a little crazy for asking me to do this. I mean really, I love to plan birthday parties for my son, but a big event like this? He must be nuts to think I could pull it off. In reality, it was fear that was holding me back. Fear I would fail, fear the event would fail, and fear that God would be disappointed. Boy, was I ever wrong!

After attending this event last year I finally said YES to God. I knew I would be completing my degree in December which would then allow me time to plan for this. Saturday will be the first Single Moms' Morning Out event at my church and I am beyond excited for it! These ladies are getting a fun morning full of car washes, breakfast, massages, hair cuts, facials, make & take goodies, intentional praying for them, a boutique area where they can shop for free, and a wonderful buffet style lunch that is mom's only where they can connect with other single moms in the community. The event will also provide childcare for the moms while they attend. How amazing is that! The best part is that the entire event is absolutely free for these moms. What a blessing in itself!

As I started preparing for this event I wanted the Blessing Bags (shown above) to be filled with intentional items. Items that were fun, or necessary, or a reminder that they are loved, or something to encourage them along this journey they are on. I'm amazed by what all is inside of them. So many great things and so many wonderful people and businesses willing to donate items for them. I pray that each and every mom attending this event feels the love that each bag holds for them. I know first hand the struggle of being a single mom and I also know that one kind gesture can make a big difference in their lives. More than anything though, I want them to know they are not alone. God is always with them!