Happy New Year!!
Happy New Year, my dear friends!! No, I haven’t skipped Christmas; Advent us the beginning of the Church year. It is a great time to reflect and make goals. When my children were young, I wanted to celebrate my “mom” friends at Christmas time. I desired to give them a true gift of self. So I hosted a mom’s brunch.
I sent invitations, made a couple easy breakfast casseroles and bought some little gifts in bulk. I contacted some of the dads too and they went out for a “daddy breakfast” while we moms celebrated together.
It was a beautiful morning of fun, friendship and fellowship. Some women formed new friendships; we prayed, ate and laughed together. Reflecting on this gave me two ideas:
The best gifts are usually the ones that don’t come wrapped up. My friends still talk about how special that morning was to them. I love to cook and my friends love to eat, so it was the perfect union of talent and treasure.
Hosting a mommy brunch may be a great way to jump start a mothers’ group this year! If you haven’t considered this before, maybe this is the nudge you need?! Or, if you have too much on your plate (well, it is brunch after all) perhaps another mom might be inspired to start or assist in running one.
I pray that all of you have a blessed Advent and Christmas season. Make the most of the opportunity to start anew and Happy New Year!
Mary Lou Rosien
Mary Lou Rosien BSW, MA is the RCIA Coordinator at St. Leo Church in Hilton, New York. She is the author of Managing Stress with the Help of Your Catholic Faith (OSV) and Catholic Family Boot Camp (Bezalel Books). Mary Lou is also a columnist with Catholicmom.com, and AmazingCatechists.com