A couple of years ago, I headed into church ... my family at home. Kiddos were sick with colds. Dario and I hadn’t had a good night’s rest in a while. I was exhausted. I had gone through a very frustrating moment with the kids – both children irrationally tantruming and screaming over me not buying ice cream from the ice cream truck. We got home and I had lost my cool and yelled at both of them. A response we, both Dario and I, try pretty hard to avoid. I was carrying the weight of this moment as I stumbled into church. The feeling of personal disappointment was strong. It was a feeling of motherhood failure. My rational side told me that we were all exhausted and everything would be fine, perfectly human to yell. But a part of me was so sad that we had had such a blow up.
I walked into church and sat alone, with a dark cloud above my head. Pastor Tim started his sermon and rolled into parenthood and the trials and tribulations. I don’t remember exactly his sermon that day. I do remember trying so hard to stop the flow of tears from rolling down my face. His words hit home, as they do so often. I struggled to hide my emotions. What really stood out from that moment was the response I received from church members next to me that I hardly knew. There were no weird glances. No odd looks. Instead hugs. Arms around me. I let out some huge sobs – impossible to hold in any longer. Temple Lutheran members reached out and understood. They didn’t ask questions, or judge. They just hugged. Such a minute moment, such a monumental gesture. Thank you.
-Amy Mescia, Mission Partner