"My eldest child Ella turned five the other day and along with it came her first day of school. Both Ella and I had been excited about her going to school for quite some time now, so I was surprised to find that when the day came I was really quite emotional. You hear about mothers bawling at the school gates as they watch their precious offspring take their first steps into the real world; I didn't think that would be me - but then I didn't think my kids would ever eat McDonalds either, so goes to show how much I know.
As I eagerly waited for 3pm to roll around so that I could reclaim my daughter back into my loving arms, I reflected on those first five years. From the blood curdling screams I let out bringing her into the world, to the drive home from the hospital with my husband driving 30kph while I sat in the back seat monitoring our new bundle of joy and telling David to take the corners a bit slower, to the sleepless nights wondering what on earth I had gotten myself into and myriad of events, dramas, joys and achievements that had bought me to this point.
I thought about returning to work (albeit part-time) when Ella reached one, which came all too quickly and the place that I found myself in, where I really felt like I wasn't coping. What I really wanted was a place where I could go where I would be looked after, where me, the mum could be validated and that's really where WonderMums came from. It started as a group of mums from our church who would meet at my place to be there for each other basically. With the help of Julia lending her great organisational skills and other amazing qualities, we'd arranged to meet every second week at my house for a bible study (although with toddlers running around the place this wasn't always that successful) and every other week we'd have an outing, usually a trip down to the ducks - a two minute walk from my place.
After just over 2 years, Julia moved over the ditch for a bit and Monique (another terrific administrator and generous, loving person - God is good) came on board and we decided that we really needed to open the group up to others. So with some fancy artwork and a clever name, WonderMums, and an actual plan of what we might do each term, we were on our way! There have definitely been some learning curves and we've come a long way from those early days but WonderMums has become something that I always dreamed it would be and just as coming to this place has been a journey, I feel WonderMums itself is a journey.
For me it's about mums journeying together through those early years of parenthood. Finding that the tantrum/uneaten dinner/pooh on the wall that drove you to tears on Monday evening becomes something to laugh about on Tuesday morning as you discover that there's someone else in your little corner of the world that is either going through the same thing or has just been through it and come out the other end both mother and child intact.
There's a verse in the Bible that I really love, "Don't store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust can't destroy them, and thieves can't break in and steal them. You heart will always be where your treasure is." Matthew 6:19-21. I take the treasures on earth to mean money and material possessions and the treasures in heaven to be your relationships with God and people. In a lot of ways over the past four years WonderMums and everyone who has been and is a part of it has been that for me. Thank you for being my treasure. I have met so many mums that have taught me so much and that I admire so greatly, through being a part of WonderMums. From the mums who haven't had a full night's sleep in over a year yet still manage to put a smile on their face to greet the world each morning and always have a listening ear for a friend or a hug for a crying child, to the mums to who New Zealand is a second home and they are raising their family in a foreign place with no extended family for help or guidance and yet they still do such a wonderful job loving their kids through thick and thin without a break, to the working mums and everything that that entails and to the stay at home mums and everything that goes along with that. You are all so courageous. I feel very blessed to have been able to be a small part of your lives.
Towards the end of last year as the stresses of life began to bustle noisily around me, I began to realise that being a part of the team that runs WonderMums was something that I needed to let go. I have found it such a privilege and an honour that God had chosen me to be a cog in the wheel that makes WonderMums happen and I am sad to remove myself from that side of things but I also feel very much at peace as I intend to use my time to spend with my youngest son before he's off to kindy next year and no doubt school before I know it, and to be as much of a part of my daughter's new life as she embarks on her new adventure that is school. I know without a shadow of a doubt that Monique, Ruth, Jo and Julia with continue to do an amazing job running WonderMums as they are all such wonderful people/mothers/friends and all have such unique gifts that shine through in the various roles that they play in making everything happen as it does.
Anyway I just wanted to let you know where things are at with me and to let you all know just how amazing you all are and that you are doing the best job in the world that you can do in being someone's mum. Fortunately I won't have to miss you all that much as I intend to still come along to WonderMums when I can. This all seems a wee bit dramatic actually as I'm really not going that far away but Monique did ask me to write something for the blog to explain what's happening and giving me free reign to say what I want can be dangerous.
Take care and God Bless, Catherine."
We will miss having Catherine on the team - she has been a huge inspiration to all of us - thanks for everything!!!
