Brooke Romney Poor Me

 I'm reading I Like Me Anyway by Brooke Romney. 

She tells the following story.

She was living just outside of DC when she had her first baby.  She had no clue what she was doing.  But soon she got into a routine.  She watched Trading Spaces and faux painted her apartment.  She watched Food Network and started cooking semi-homemade meals.  She kept her house tidy and made some friends and felt like she was rocking the motherhood/wife/homemaker thing.

Then they moved to Arizona when her son was 15 months old and it seemed most other women had 2 or 3 children, canned, cooked, had spotless homes, created FHE kits, and had chore charts.  She suddenly felt completely defeated and like she would NEVER measure up.  Her talents hadn't suddenly disappeared when she got to Arizona.   But she had begun to compare herself to a conglomerate of women.  She felt devoid of all the things that made other women seem special.  She was in a "poor me" moment when the Spirit told her to stop it.  She also had gifts to share.  She was good at gathering others.  She started playgroups and ran an exercise class and built unity in an area that needed it.  She writes, "We rise when we focus on what we can give."

Then she urges us to use our talents and our interests and contribute.  See others as friends and allies, not competitors.

LESSONS LEARNED:  Use MY talents and gifts.

Learn from others.

We rise when we focus on what we can give.

Don't compare.

See others as friends and allies.

Our spirits long to learn and grow and progress.