Blessing Our Moms

One of the things that I love so much about spending time at The Way is seeing the many ways that God provides for our moms. When I say He provides, He REALLY provides! We have a group of ladies that knit sweet little hats and blankets for our newborn gift bags and another lady makes beautiful quilts for them. We always have an on-going supply of gently-used baby clothes, Pampers, wet wipes and other items to add to the gift bags. A close friend has recently started donating grocery and hygiene items she gets by couponing and is now encouraging others to come on board with her to help meet another need at our clinic.

We’ve been able to help our moms with different needs, and thankfully, we’re now able to help them with another need, one for maternity clothes. This need was recently met by “Dignity U Wear,” an organization that gives beautiful new clothes to people in need. There are no words to describe what a blessing this has already been for some of our moms. So much so that I just have to share a couple of the stories.

Last Monday I asked one of our mom’s if she needed maternity clothes and shoes. She was wearing flip-flops and immediately took one of them off and showed me the shoe. It had a hole in it the size of a quarter. This is her only pair of shoes and she walks to our clinic for her visits! As for maternity clothes, she had been wearing jeans that she wore before she was pregnant, so she had to walk around wearing them unzipped! I went through our stash of clothes and picked out some for her to try on. She was especially excited about a pair of overalls and called me in the room so I could see them on her. She thought they would be perfect to wear, even after the baby is born, since she plans to nurse her baby. The appreciation she had for the clothes was nothing short of food for my soul!

Another mom, Debbie (name changed), told me she needed clothes and I put together a bag for her. She was supposed to come by Wednesday to pick them up. When I called to set up a time for her, her mom answered and said they had a viewing Tuesday afternoon and funeral on Wednesday. Knowing Debbie’s need for clothes, I offered to meet Debbie early Tuesday afternoon to help out with something to wear to the viewing and funeral. Debbie met me at the clinic, tried on the clothes and thanked me over and over as she left with a bag of nice, beautiful maternity clothes and a big smile on her face.

Two moms came in this past Thursday for their checkouts and they were in also in need of maternity clothes. One of them took every item out of the bag and showed it to her husband. It was nothing short of pure sweetness, watching her show the clothes to him and asking him his opinion of them! I put together some clothes for the other mom and asked if she would like me to add a dressy dress since we had a beautiful one in her size. She and her mom have been visiting a new church and she said she would love to have a dress to wear to church. She was beyond elated when she saw the dress and even modeled it for me. Not only was it a perfect fit and color for her, it looked gorgeous on her!

Some of our moms have stories that tug at my heartstrings and they will forever hold a special place in my heart. For the most part, they have fallen on hard times and are in a situation that any of us could be in at any given time. I know what it’s like to go through financially hard times. We went through some really lean times raising four kids and we endured some financial hardships that came from the medical catastrophes my husband and I went through. I truly believe that God lets us go through some experiences to give us a greater understanding of what others are going through, so we can be an encourager to them. Before I was created, He knew that I would end up working with some moms going through financial hard times. My life experiences have given me insight as to the difference a pair of shoes, a dressy dress or baby items can mean to someone going through a difficult time. I know the appreciation these ladies have in their hearts, for everything we give and do for them, even the little things that might seem insignificant to someone else. I am so thankful to everyone who donates to our clinic, giving me the opportunity to brighten someone’s day and make a difference in their life.