For local mamas to the South Puget Sound area there is something stirring. There are mothers gathering from all backgrounds to connect. It started as an Instagram account by Ruthy Taylor, @discoverystreet, a mama in Tacoma looking to connect with other moms, and it has turned into an online watering hole. From dinners to playdates to clothes swaps to backyard socials it has been so sweet to to see women introduce themselves to people they’ve only connected with online @thevillage253.
The last backyard social couldn’t have been more picture perfect. With nibbles and rosé in hand the chatter of mamas sans kids was delightful. There were business owners, yoga instructors, marketing gurus, stay at home moms, and everything in between.Each journey was unique, handcrafted, and beautiful.
Photo credit: @thevillage253 @discoverystreet
What gripped me most was the honest story of Danielle Kartes, @rusticjoyfulfood. Her and her husband had owned a restaurant in Tacoma that didn’t turn out like they had planned. They lost everything, absolutely everything. In the midst of her loss she decided not to question her identity. They had nothing but a brand new baby and they decided to love each other and love that precious baby.
It is a downright dangerous activity to question your identity. To question if you are deserving of love, hope, and goodwill is not healthy, ever. As a woman, mama, and dreamer we can do that. We can question our identity and spin our souls out of control, wondering what matters and what we are worth. Danielle shared how Jesus was her everything, her hope, her grace, her peace, and her victory. I was blinking back tears as I thought of so many friends who are breaking under the weight of their circumstance. They have deep loss, horrific pain, and wounds that will take time to heal. Yet that’s the promise, they will heal. Life provides us ample opportunities to test our bravery, our belief in the goodness of God, and our resolve in the hardest of times. That’s what fascinated me most about the village that night. It was a mingling of tired souls, joyful souls, expectant ones, and hopeful ones. All hopeful to get through motherhood and get through it together.
Dear Mama, no matter what comes your way, may you stand strong in your identity, which is lovely, worthy, and priceless, and stand together, in your village with other mamas who are facing giants just like you.