21 - The Mother’s Day Episode: Church Notes, (Mild) Emotional Damage, and Other Mom Things!

Happy Mother’s Day… and also, why are moms carrying so much pressure around it? 😅 This week we’re chatting honestly about the expectations that come with Mother’s Day, social media comparisons, and learning to let go of the “perfect day” fantasy. Patty shares how she’s changed her mindset around farm life and Mother’s Day during planting season, and Amy tells the story of her most emotional postpartum Mother’s Day ever.

We also dive into newborn life and all the things people should actually do for a new mom, from bringing meals to folding laundry to simply staying awhile. Plus, we share funny postpartum memories, thoughts on baby gadgets, and the classic question: “What would the Indians have done?” 😂

To wrap it up, we talk through two powerful church messages about confession, living in the light, materialism, generosity, and what it means to truly let God transform us instead of just hiding our struggles.

Bible Verses Mentioned

1 John 1:5-7
“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all...”

Luke 12:16-21
The parable of the rich fool storing up treasures for himself instead of being “rich toward God.”

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to 27 Good.

SPEAKER_02 0:01

I'm Patty. I'm Amy.

SPEAKER_00 0:04

And Happy Mother's Day.

SPEAKER_02 0:05

Happy Mother's Day. This weekend. It'll be this weekend when this episode airs.

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Best day of the year. No one's ever had a bad Mother's Day, right? Definitely not any moms. Just says every single expectation I've ever had.

SPEAKER_02 0:17

I did already, so this we're recording this two weeks before Mother's Day. And I already sent Brian a picture today that said Mother's Day is on May 11th, and this is the size of an epidural needle. And I had a picture of an epidural needle. Put it in your calendar, Brian. Don't mess it up. Don't mess it up. And then they're always like, but you're not my mom. The best. And then he's that's it. That's his last day on our after he says. Then you'll be a widow. Well then great. Go get something for your mom then. Right, at least. Yeah. Uh I do always say, I'm so glad Mother's Day comes first so that I know exactly not what to give you for Father's Day, which is nothing. What a gift when they're gonna do nothing there that way. I'm gonna do nothing and I'm not gonna get you anything. So take that. Do you think that social media made Mother's Day a bigger deal? Do you think it's always been that moms feel a little bit slighted on Mother's Day, or do you think it's new?

SPEAKER_00 1:07

I don't know. I should ask my mom that actually. Yeah. I for sure I I I think I stay off social media on my stuff.

SPEAKER_02 1:14

You have to.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

It's bad. It's so everyone just has the best husband on Mother's Day. All the gifts. The best life.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

All the gifts, all the things.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

They got brought out to the game. Like two weeks ago, they're really compla like really telling how much they love that.

SPEAKER_02 1:26

You see them out and they hate their husband, but on Mother's Day, they're the treated self- Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_00 1:31

I do, I feel like actually in general, not just Mother's Day, we were just talking about this at work. It feels like so much of like a celebration anymore is just for the gram, just for posting, you know what I mean? Gifts in general. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:42

Or just all things. I think sometimes I really feel like I did this years ago. I stopped posting anything. You know, the picture of the gifts under the Christmas tree, the kids' Easter baskets. People can really make sure to let, you know, and then you're you're looking and you're like, oh my gosh, my kids get chocolate for Easter.

SPEAKER_00 2:00

I know. And some jelly beans. I did feel that way about Easter. It does really feel like it's becoming Christmas 2.0 because my kids all the time fit in their baskets. Valentine's Day too. Yeah, which I didn't. I mean, I don't think I did anything. I cut out some hearts and I made cinnamons with a lot of things.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

And I always buy Reese's hearts because they're delicious.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Yeah. Well, that's another another hot take for another episode. But with you.

SPEAKER_02 2:22

Certainly.

SPEAKER_00 2:22

Yeah. Mother's Day is a tough one. I do just think, social media or not, you just have this expectation of like rolled out red carpet. They've had the date on the calendar for months.

SPEAKER_02 2:33

Look, everyone's looking forward to it. They're making plans. Well, and what's silly is the things that I do as a mom, cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, things that are very much my own motherly roles, maybe not everybody's. I don't want to do them on that day.

SPEAKER_00 2:48

I know. And you act like you shouldn't have to. Or at least I have.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

Yeah. I actually have learned that my expectations for Mother's Day and my disappointments of Mother Day, Mother's Day are all internally just my own thing. Yeah. Brian is a farmer. Mother's Day is the first or second weekend of May, whatever it is, second weekend. I don't know. And they are all going at that point. If we aren't, we're bummed that we're not. They're in the fields, they're yeah. It's hopefully it's a gorgeous weekend because it's Mother's Day weekend. And so he's busy doing stuff. And I used to make this expectation of you better get me. I don't care if you're picking up pizza somewhere, but get me a meal. I'm not cooking. And then it ends up inevitably being a fight because he has to get off the tractor to go into town to pick up the pizza. Why can't I just go pick up the pizza? So I really made a shift, I want to say three years ago, three or four years ago. I used to just really feel sorry for myself. The boys, I think probably what it was was one time the boys said that Mother's Day was just such a terrible day because I was always in a bad mood. Yeah, and then we've said before, I mean, happy wife, happy life. Yeah. That doesn't have to come from my family, right? It's just I need to be happy. And so I started just if I am cooking, I'm cooking all my favorite foods. Yes. And doing things I want to do, usually, which is usually go walk through a greenhouse because it's the time of year for that, or have my sister over to sit on the porch. And if the boys are in the field then with Brian, I can I don't have to sit around feeling sorry for myself that they're busy and working and recognize my mom and his mom in some way because they're the grandmas and they're our moms. But really did try to make a shift, I think. And that's the thing with social media for me is these other dads that are you know booking the brunch reservations and spending all this time with their moms, they're not farmers. Yeah, it's different, different situations. So I don't know what we're gonna do this year. I don't know. I did take I had one personal day left, which never happens. Teachers only get my at least at my school, we get three personal days. And I took them Monday after Mother's Day off, and I thought about getting a pedicure.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Yeah, it's a good idea. Yeah. Fun little me day. Right. We've only had a few Mother's Days. I feel I can totally relate. I do feel like Jason tries, maybe. I can't even remember. So I feel that I'm in a healthier spot. Maybe you agree or disagree than I was like two years ago. I'm gonna tell the story because I just think it's the funniest Mother's Day. Two years ago, Austin was what, a month old, probably. And we were living in that, but yeah. Yeah. Yeah, a few weeks old. We were living in a house not ours, Jason's aunt. We're so grateful for it to live there while we read it ours. During your house remodel. And the challenge was it was all subfloors. I know that sounds so silly and ungrateful, but it just is kind of like you're at camp, you know, you're not no one's walking around barefoot. And you had little kids that little kids are on the floor. Little kids, and obviously a new board. Yeah. And the funniest thing is, well, there's two funny parts to this. My sister had come up to help. I don't know if she listens to this, but it's still hilarious and she knows it. So, but she just like slept on the couch the whole time. So then it was like because she's a teenager. She's a teenager. She's just, gosh, she would have been what? Like 17. Right. 16. No, 17. They're probably exhausted to drive up. Exhausted. Take a nap. Gosh, and just when you're that age, everything is a child. Everything's hard. Yeah. And so then I was like, wow, this is great to just have like one more person to take care of. Now the kids can't sit on the couch. Now the kids asleep. Addie. Addie. I like had to wake her up. I was like, do you care if some of us sit here on the couch too? There's one couch and a chair. So that was so funny. And then we've got to my mother-in-law's. And I just think when you are grumpy and in a bad mood, you just hear what you you hear the worst of everything.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

Interpret it the way you write.

SPEAKER_00 6:34

Interpret it so wrong. And gosh, it's so funny. My mother-in-law did not mean it this way, but she said something like, Oh yeah, like you could take the kid. She did not say you could take the kids to like Friday gymnastics at the Y, but that is how I heard it. I think she was offering, like, sometime I could take the kids, but how I heard Or she just thought this might be something that Samantha would like to do.

SPEAKER_02 6:54

Yes, probably. I think it was just that. I think it was very innocent of because Samantha's cousin was doing it. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

But what I heard was you're not doing it enough. It's a mom. And you should be taking them to gymnastics. And it's so funny. And I think I apologized later for because I was just like, we've got to get out of here. I was j I probably cried. And she was like, What? She was like, No, I just mean I'll take the kids sometime. I was like, okay.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

I can't do it. I can't do one more thing. We're not taking them.

SPEAKER_00 7:21

We're barely breathing. And it just is the funniest thing. And plus I showed up there grumpy, probably, because I don't know if Jason like you just expect to walk out and like breakfast is on the table. Yeah. Like he's gone working. Like he's not there when we wake up. So like of course he's not making brush. You know what I mean? Why isn't he? Until he's coming back. Why isn't he hiring someone to come make the brush? I know. So, anyways, it's hilarious. And then last year, I was thinking about this, is when I loaded Andrew and Samantha up and we went to Carolina Beach. Oh yeah. And saw my friend Molly. My other friend went with us, and that was Mother Mother's Day. I think that's when we were driving back. Had one but bad Mother's Day. I was like, we're getting out of here next Mother's Day.

SPEAKER_02 7:58

Do you remember when you were pregnant with Samantha and you said, I hope Jason does something for me for Mother's Day? And I sent him a picture frame. I sent you a picture frame of for the ultrasound. Yes. And I texted Jason and I said, I sent this picture frame from the ultrasound, and it could be from you.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Yes. I was trying to help him. He, Jason, was like, You're not a mom.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

You're not a mom yet. You're carrying a baby.

SPEAKER_00 8:21

I was carrying a baby.

SPEAKER_02 8:22

Yeah. His love. And he refused to take it.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

He just was like, no, I'm not giving it to her. She's not a mom yet. She's not a mom yet. Patty sent you this frame.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

And you like put the altars on it. It says something so cute because we still have a five little smantles room. But guy. Yeah. He has stepped it up, I feel like, but I can't recall anything.

SPEAKER_02 8:44

Well, so I think both Brian and Jason know. We have a bakery in Worcester called Kissami's Bakery. They make the best, the most delicious cupcakes, and then right next door is a florist. And so Brian has figured out that that is just the clutch. That's her dicing is too. Because I will thoroughly own up to the fact that I am an impossible person to shop for because I buy myself everything I want.

SPEAKER_00 9:10

But cupcakes, they're variety of cupcakes, and they're cute. And flowers are so good too. Yeah. Same thing.

SPEAKER_02 9:14

And so I feel like he would buy me anything that I asked for if there was a new pair of tennis shoes I wanted. If there was, I mean, a new table. You've already bought it. I've already bought it. It's on its way. You could buy me this, but it's on its way. And so I've because I think he regularly is like, oh, you want a Mother's Day gift? Well, what? Or you want Christmas gift? What do you want me to get you? And nothing.

SPEAKER_00 9:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

So I do think sorry, anniversary at the beginning of the month, he did uh cupcakes and flowers from so I think he's figured that out. That that's the easy stop. You get cupcakes and flowers, everybody's so I'm so happy. Everybody's happy because we all get a cupcake and it's just perfect. So I'm sure that's what he'll do. And then he's even learned that his mother also loves that gift because knock it out. Yeah, everybody loves a cupcake and everybody loves some flowers. Kind of a great duo to have next to each other, really. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

Gosh, so the other reason we thought we'd talk about Mother's Day, obviously it's coming up, was Patty sent me the most hilarious text last week.

SPEAKER_02 10:15

So my brother and his wife had a baby. And of course, like all of us, I want to say they're having a hard time, but everyone is having a hard time when they have a baby. And I had only heard I was laying low. I wasn't calling or texting or checking on it at all because I know how hard it's her first baby. My brother has a little girl from his previous marriage, but it is his wife's first baby. And the first baby just rocks your world.

SPEAKER_00 10:41

Oh my gosh, rocks it.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

No matter what kind of research you've done, no matter if you know people who've had babies, I was around a lot of babies. You were around a lot of babies growing up. And but you really have no idea.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

In fact, I remember telling my boss before I had the baby how hard could it be. You really were like that. How hard could it be? You thought it was spa day. I'm going to the spa. The hospital's a spa. And then you were so mad they wouldn't let you in the tub. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

But so I was laying low, and then I had heard from my mom just that of course they were having a hard time. I want to say they were having a hard time, but they were because everyone has a hard time that first week home. And I sent her this long text of just, I hope I'm it's okay. I'm saying something because I heard from mom, but you I and it was so I I mean it was nice. That was nice. Yeah. You know, I'm you're doing amazing. Give yourself some graces, you heal, and this is so hard. And then I texted Amy. I so I told Amy that I sent it, and then I texted her late that night, and I said she never replied to my text. But she had read it. She had read receipt. Yes. So I could see she had read it right away. She read it. Right. And I said, She probably hates me, and I was mad that I even said this. And you said, should I just delete it? Should I just delete it?

SPEAKER_00 11:53

Should I just delete the text? Which is funny too, because it's not even an option. Like once it's been seen. Or there's no time going on. Time's gone. I feel like I've tried to delete something to Jason. So funny. But you can't.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

And Amy was like, just so long as you didn't say, what was it that you said?

SPEAKER_00 12:11

I said, as long as you didn't say, enjoy these moments. They go too fast.

SPEAKER_02 12:15

She doesn't hate you. Don't worry, I didn't say that.

SPEAKER_00 12:17

Gosh.

SPEAKER_02 12:18

Or the other one was we said you can never say to a new mom, how did everyone sleep last night?

SPEAKER_00 12:22

How did everyone sleep? Don't ask how everyone sleeps. No one's sleeping. No one's sleeping. Can't ask how the baby slept.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

So we just thought it would be so funny to talk about some of that of just newborn days and just we talked in last week's episode about how to help people who were disabled, and maybe we should just talk about how to help a newborn night.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

I wrote down a few things because I was like, well, this is fresh. I should say it. But the other funny thing, a little funny story I have from when Samantha was a baby and everything was hard. And I wanted to breastfeed just more than anything. I just felt like if I feed my baby formula, I'm the worst mom. And guess what? I gave my baby formula and I was the best.

SPEAKER_02 12:59

Yeah, it was the best. I blame social media for that too.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

Yeah. But what's so funny is Jason's cousin, we still laugh and she's mortified to this day. When they came over to visit, she was like, How's breastfeeding going? And I was like, I don't want to talk about it. Like, why wouldn't I just say not good? But you're so impressed. Yeah, your hormones are just wild. So maybe don't ask how breastfeeding's going either. Yeah. But it was so funny. It's good for a joke now.

SPEAKER_02 13:21

Unless you're okay with them crying in the response, I suppose. How's breastfeeding going if they start to cry?

SPEAKER_00 13:25

I still have a picture of you and I. I'm pumping, holding like a truly at my house. No, you're there. And Jason's in it too. Like he took it. It was like the three of us sitting in Samantha's room and I'm pumping, trying to relax. So funny. It's hilarious. I don't even remember.

SPEAKER_02 13:39

I do remember that when you came home from the hospital with Samantha, I texted you and I said I didn't come to see you in the hospital. Well, she was a COVID.

SPEAKER_00 13:45

It was COVID, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:46

But I don't think I came to see you with any of them.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

I just You did say when I fell with one of them before I was born. Do you remember that? Or before they were born. I think it was Austin, probably. Yeah, that was scary. I kind of forgot to be able to do it. It was so nice to have a friend because you really were like, I wasn't expecting to stay all day. But we just didn't do visitors, I feel like. After you don't the first, and then it was well, and I just really do try to lay low.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

But so when you came home from the hospital with Samantha, I texted you and I said, I'm right down the road. Remember that if you need me, I'm right here. And right away you reply back and we're like, I need you. Because Jason had to leave, and I was like, You can't be home alone with the baby. Jason's leaving, and I can't be home alone with the baby. So I came in and I was like, We're putting some essential oils in the diffuser and we're cracking a beer. I forgot about and we're calming down. Yeah, because here's the thing you were like in your diaper.

SPEAKER_00 14:31

You were oh my gosh. I'm so happy for and jealous of people whose husbands have like my husband says like three months off with me. I'm like, oh my gosh, because these like a few weeks.

SPEAKER_02 14:43

Yeah. When I had Sam, Sam was born October 8th, and Brian my mom was home with me. So in his defense, my mom was home with me. She stayed multiple days with both of the boys, and he went and he had a harvest. He had been in the hospital with me. He got sick. Yes, everyone was sick.

SPEAKER_00 15:02

I remember that.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

He was sick when just him. He was sick when I was in the hospital with Sam. But so when I came home from the hospital, he went out and he was on the combine all day long doing who knows what. And when he got home that night, I burst into tears. And I was like, You never even called to see if I was okay. And he was kind of like, Your mom was here. Right. You're fine. Your mom's here. But your hormones are just so wild.

SPEAKER_00 15:23

They're so wild.

SPEAKER_02 15:24

And then he, of course, probably felt so terrible. And but he was like, Your mom is here. I figured like you guys were doing your thing.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

You never even called. Never even called. See if you're okay. Yes, my mom came with all of my kids too, and it's just really a godsend. Which brings me to the little list I wrote. Oh yeah. Bring a meal. And this, I'm just gonna it's so funny. When you're there, I think truly it does depend a little bit like on your level of like how close you are to the person. But other things I wrote was sweep the floor. I feel like that's always a task that needs done, and no one wants to do it. Or you don't want to do it. Hold the baby and make them shower. Say, I will hold the baby, I'll watch the baby, just go take a shower. You can try them in if bad or good. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Oh, I've agree.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

Um nodding. Fold laundry. I think that's always another thing of like, oh, just fold a basket of laundry while we're hanging. I just remember wanting, especially the first one, the subsequent ones, I felt like you don't care as much, but you just want to hold the baby. I just want to hold this baby.

SPEAKER_02 16:16

Because I actually was gonna say that is that sometimes it's don't hold the baby, sometimes it's just don't always expect that they want you to hold the baby, I think. For sure. Because I think sometimes I didn't want to always hand them off. No, I did want to sit and be visit I wanted to sit and chat because I'm a talker and I'm an extrovert, but sometimes I think I wanted to be able to hold the baby.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

Yes. I the first one I didn't really want to give her to anyone. I felt like I just want to, yeah, get snar. I put just tell them they're doing a good job. And seasoned moms. We all just want to hear we're doing an okay job.

SPEAKER_02 16:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 16:45

Just every now and then.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

Everyone wants to hear it.

SPEAKER_00 16:47

Everyone wants to hear it.

SPEAKER_02 16:48

And your kids are great. You want to be told we liked your kids. Your kids are great. You're doing a great job.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Because consistently you're like, my kids are terrible and I'm bad moms. Yeah. And it's my fault. Uh-huh. Make a freezer meal. Gosh, I think back of how I can love moms, like new moms better. And I think that's it. Of like, here's a fresh meal now, and here's one to throw in the freezer that you can put in the crock pot or whatever it is. The other thing you did with you brought stuff for like my big kids when you brought some like a meal, and it was just the most thoughtful thing. And someone else did that too. Brought like a just like a book or something. A little activity book. Yes. Well, you brought, yes, you got them that. You got something to keep them busy. Yes. And it was just so helpful and fun. And it's like fun for them to get something new too. Yeah. Because the baby's already taken all the attention. Right. That's all I have. How many add to it?

SPEAKER_02 17:34

I don't know. I mean, gosh, I had a baby twelve. It does go. Yes. You really forget. But one thing that I vividly remember is that some every visitor wanted to just buzz in and buzz out. They didn't want to stay. Yeah. We don't want to be a burden, but sometimes I just wanted somebody to stay. Yes, especially the first one. And hang with me. The first one.

SPEAKER_00 17:52

You're like, what am I gonna do? I have to talk to this baby. I'm really talking to the baby. Yeah. I'm going kind of crazy.

SPEAKER_02 17:57

It's why Charlie never stops talking, is because I just had to talk to her the whole time. It's true. But you do. Yeah, I don't know. I don't even I can't even remember. I do think telling them that they're doing great and like checking in on them, we're really quick to see how the baby's doing and how. But gosh, the moms have been through a lot if they had if they've given birth.

SPEAKER_00 18:17

We're just talking about how traumatic the actual like physical event of a baby coming out of your body is. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 18:23

That's just your hormones, your the way your body has to heal, if you're breastfeeding, then what's going on there. And so yeah, I think checking in with the mom. People really want to know how the baby's doing, how the baby's eating, how the baby's sleeping. But maybe just see. Does anyone care about me? You're like absolutely the mom went through like a traumatic medical event. Check on her. Seriously.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

But gosh, yeah, you do forget.

SPEAKER_02 18:47

One thing I will say about my brother, though, is I did tell him very early on that I needed a daily photo. He's not doing it. Classic.

SPEAKER_00 18:53

Of course you can't do it. No, I just need a daily photo. You have to tell and you can't really ask her yet.

SPEAKER_02 18:58

No, I can't ask either of them, really. Right? But so I'm laying low, trying to.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

Well, that's what I said back to about the red receipt is like sure she read it or her phone was open. Probably read it and then started crying. Right, crying, of course, because it was the nicest note she's ever received, I bet.

unknown 19:12

Right.

SPEAKER_00 19:13

And then but it is just that you read like a nice note and you want to have a thoughtful reply, but the baby's crying. It's just, I just remember it being hard to even exist. I remember actually telling you, like, I can't even eat. You were like, the baby can cry while you make some oatmeal. Right. Which yeah. Yeah, you don't even realize that.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

You just are. I think someone told me it's okay to lay the baby in the crib and go take your shower. Yeah. Like when you can't figure out a way to do that. But that first baby, you just really just rocks your world.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

I know. It's so funny too. This is going off track. Just how you buy every single gadget or I did.

SPEAKER_02 19:46

Wait, this makes me I always say if you want to make money, invent something that is going to be helpful in any way to a new mom, they'll buy it. Rich forever. Because even if it's something that they can only use for a two-week span of this. I mean, some of the stuff that we buy for the babies, you really are only using for such a small window. Like a bouncy.

SPEAKER_00 20:07

Which I did love a bouncy. Yeah, you need it. Yeah. But they're in it for the tiniest window of their life. That was the thing Jason hated the most because the legs are so wide and he would always trip over. Always, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:18

But yeah, I just think if you I mean you Which do you remember then?

SPEAKER_00 20:22

What your advice to me always was about if the Indians didn't need it, you don't need it. Oh, I know. I still say that.

SPEAKER_02 20:27

We didn't buy so many, I didn't buy so much, I felt like I think of that, and it's not just for babies, but it's for a lot of things of life as like, well, how did the Indians get by with by? And yeah, with newborns, it's one. I think that when we have newborns, we do say, okay, it's a major medical event. But also people have been having babies forever. Yes. In every setting, and they didn't have a monitor. They didn't have a monitor. Actually, they just slept with their baby. So right. But I mean, I just think we're we can be really quick to act like it's and it is a miracle and a major moment.

SPEAKER_00 20:55

You're just so desperate that you're willing to try anything because you think you're doing everything wrong. My baby isn't sleeping through the night with something. It's like, no, the baby just doesn't do that yet. It doesn't sleep. They're just it can't self-soothe. Yeah, it can't self-soothe.

unknown 21:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

Yeah. What would the Indians do? Oh, the Indians are dying. I do think probably the Indians had wet nurses and they were just passing that baby around. It was easy for me. All taking turns nursing. Well, the one the mom went out for her hunt or whatever it was. It's so funny.

SPEAKER_00 21:21

So gosh, well, great chat about Mother's Day. I think that I was thinking what we would do because we actually have not talked about it at all. I wanted to have my mom and my in-laws over for brunch, or not not just the ladies for like mimosa's, but that's not gonna happen because I did not plan it soon, and my mom will have to do probably church stuff. So I don't know what I'll do. Probably church, and then maybe Jason will probably just grill some steaks. I feel like which you go out to eat on Mother's Day. I don't know why I'm terrified never got a lot of time. No, I never have gotten out to eat on Mother's Day. Didn't you guys go to the barn last year with your in law's movie? You're right. I say I never did, but I did last day.

SPEAKER_02 21:55

I've never done that. You're a liar. Except for last year.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

I just remember working Texas Roadhouse. And Mother's Day was like the day. It was a blackout day. You can't ask half.

SPEAKER_02 22:03

Yes, it was like and so the barn's the fastest turnover, though, and it's those big long tables. I don't, I have no idea what we're doing. I imagine I'll be cooking. I don't know. I told my sister I'd really love to do a greenhouse walkthrough. It's love to go to a greenhouse.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

You had a Bible verse that you wanted to share from church. Okay. So church was so good. So they started a new sermon on a new series. Yeah, sorry, new series on one John, two John, three John. I don't know if there's more of those. And this was a different, it was like the main pastor's son. And I just love he's just, I don't know, full of passion and life, and his was so good. And this is what the third time now we've sent the boys back. And so I'm really just a free woman. I've got my coffee for the first time ever. I brought my own notebook and I had my Bible opened. Like last week I was just joting some notes on their little thing, but it was so good. So he first gave a history lesson, which was great. And he just talked about how John is the apostle that is like known for just love now, but he did not used to be that way. That he and his brother were called sons of thunder back before. So were they doing boys? Seriously. Let's see what they do. But that was so good to hear. And so the verses that I highlighted that I was like underlining, which the sounds I'll just read it. Okay. It says this is the message we have heard from him and declare to you, God is light, and him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us all from sin. And one of the things I wrote down that he said was just that we are living transformed in that. And as we become transformed children of Christ, and he said, The thing I think he was really trying to get at was just that what you what we should not be doing as a church is like going into church squeaky clean, wheelie-nilly, and like, oh, I'm perfect, I have no sins, I'm just here and saying the right things, doing, you know, whatever. And he said, It's really a shame if you lead the same way. Like you should never leave church feeling like I'm perfect, I'm great, I have no sin. He said, Then there's the other side of this where we can use sin as our identity and say stuff like this is just my struggle, this is what I like, whatever that I don't know what a good example of this could be.

SPEAKER_02 24:20

Yeah, like and like using it as like And then you don't try to ever fix it. Yeah. This is something that I this have to do or something.

SPEAKER_00 24:28

That's exactly what he said. He said, using it as your identity actually just keeps you in the light. And then he quoted another pastor there that has said, either the blood of Jesus is enough to break every chain, or it isn't. So do you believe in Jesus or do you not? And because really if if you're yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:44

Well, and I think that we always say, you know, every sin is forgiven and we're all sinners. And so I think probably that can be an easy thing to say of, well, we're all sinners, so that's why he brought it up. So then that's why I gossip, or that's why I know I'm a glutton, or all these things that you're just like feeding me the lines.

SPEAKER_00 25:02

He said, Stop managing it, stop hiding it or excusing it, right? It's washed through the blood of Christ. And so it was just so good. They talked about confession, which they then I've never seen this. They haven't been encouraging people to come up to the altar for prayer. Like if you want. And I feel like a handful of people go up and then um, but this time they were like, if you have anything you want to confess, and he just talked about the power of confession and how we've lost that in the Protestant church. And is that what that church is, Protestant? I guess. I should know this. It's a Nazarene church that must fall under that. I don't know. But he was like stealing a note from like catechism over here. But he just talked about how important it is because you really then when you bring things to the light, you're not hiding the darkness anymore. And that's how he kind of ended was you can stay safe or you can step into the light, and it doesn't have the power over you when things are in light versus darkness, you know? I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 25:55

Yeah, I love it. Well the couple times that we've gone to a different church in Worcester that's a big church, I always would leave and say, I felt so uplifted, my cup is full, I feel ready to go. And Brian always said that that's not how you should leave church. He always thinks that maybe sometimes, maybe sometimes you leave and you feel so blessed and so great. But he is definitely one that says sometimes you gotta leave feeling pretty bad about yourself.

SPEAKER_00 26:18

I kind of think you always feel convicted. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:21

That I gotta be doing better.

SPEAKER_00 26:23

Like I feel, yeah, I that's exactly what I don't. I don't feel like challenged for the week. I feel like these are the things I need to change. Gosh, and they also anytime they sing goodness of God, I just cry because it's so good. And they did baptisms today, which is another, I don't know, it's just um all these brave people walking up there for like confession and doing baptism. I know. So that was our Sunday. How was your Sunday morning?

SPEAKER_02 26:48

Ours is great. Bill Pym spoke, and I think he just does such a fabulous job. And his in a completely different direction was just about it was the parable of the farmer who has, you know, stores away his grain and then has so much. Then he says, I'm just gonna build a bigger storage unit. And Jesus is like, You're not supposed to keep this all for yourself, right? And so then he talked about just how materialistic we are in America, and he talked about our junk drawers and our closets full of clothes, and he gave some statistics. One was if you took all the items out of your house, and I I might have some of these numbers wrong. I think this one I had right. I didn't write anything down, but he said, if you took all the things out of your house and you lined them up in your backyard, the average American has, and it's every item, so like your clothes, your things in your in your bathroom, have 300,000 items. I'm sure it's a massive item.

SPEAKER_00 27:38

Remember when we did that minimalism challenge and we got rid of like 400 things?

SPEAKER_02 27:41

Yeah. And just, you know, it's the idea you can't take it with you. And he said he kept saying we're conduits, like, like think of like an electricity, and we are given goodness from God to spread to others. And it's the same idea with our everything we have. The things that we have aren't necessarily just for us alone. We're supposed to be sharing, and you know, you're given you get your money from your job and all these things, and it's not supposed to be like you're gonna hoard it for yourself and make your house better by decorating it better and all these things, and it's was for sure convicting because I'm a materialistic girl, and I will say, more so than Brian, I love to give stuff away. Yeah, I'm always going through my closet and getting rid of stuff. I'm always going through the boys' stuff where Brian really hangs on to things. We've got bins in the basement of shirts he wore. I brought it up after church. He didn't come, so I was just telling him about it because he's working this weekend. But I told him that we gotta get rid of this stuff, but he just hangs on to things. And you know what he said? He said the Great Depression's coming back. We're gonna need it. Of course he did. He just says Dames Day. Just and he's just wanted to hang on to stuff. I went to get rid of all these old t-shirts. He had these t-shirts that were like drinking t-shirts and like girl stuff about girls on them. And I was like, You're never wearing these because it'd be inappropriate, you know. And the boys aren't wearing them. Yeah, and he said, Well, Charlie's gonna want that in college. There's no way Charlie's gonna want your college. He might. He might. It'll be vintage Abercrombie and Fitch or something. But so yeah, we have bins of stuff of his that he won't get rid of, where I just will get rid of anything. But I think more so than getting rid of stuff, it's just why do we need all this stuff?

SPEAKER_00 29:16

I know. And why do we I actually always feel convicted by that because I think it is like you're not living with an open hand, like you're like clenched fist holding everything out of, I think not trusting that God will provide everything.

SPEAKER_02 29:30

One of the other statistics he said was I think that we have maybe two percent of the kids in the world in our country, but we have 40% of the toys, and just how much stuff our kids have, and then we're both guilty of that.

SPEAKER_00 29:45

Um I'm feeling very convicted over Christmas this last year. I just feel like we bought so much stuff, and it was like it's just so fun as they get older, but yeah, it is and they don't need it, and I see now like the stuff they're not even playing with, and it's like really half would have been enough.

SPEAKER_02 29:59

Yeah, yeah. So it was a much different message, but I thought it was really good too. Something to take home and something to think about. Yeah, it's great.

SPEAKER_00 30:07

All right, God, gosh, thank you for all the moms out there and for anyone who's longing to be a mom or anyone who just has a hard time with Mother's Day. We just lift them up. We just thank you for gosh, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 30:23

For the week ahead. Help us to always be in the light, to recognize our sins, and to ask you for forgiveness as we continue to be better children of Christ.

SPEAKER_00 30:34

And help us to just always be generous with everything we have because it's really all yours, and we're just called to be good stewards of it. So in your name we pray. Amen. Amen.