Relationships now that kids are in the picture

Relationship building is something I was always good at.  I took for granted how easy it was for me to build relationships while I was just living my life. I built relationships at work, at school, church, exercising, etc. I always made good friends just from experiencing life together.....and then I got married, moved and had children. There are a few things that happened after all this occurred. I fell into a group of friends that Kevin had grown up with and thought I hit the jackpot. When you are away from your family and friends it feels good to feel like you belong somewhere, and I felt loved just because I was in Kevin's family. Because I was comfortable and happy enough with comfortable I didn't want to make waves within the group. If I came up with an idea and someone else just wanted to run with it, I let them. I tried to respect what I thought were the boundaries of the group and include whoever I could whenever possibly...after all we were in this together right? I built some relationships on the side but the truth was most of my time was dedicated to the group. There were always fun events to go to and I enjoyed everyone's company but then it happened......5 years later my whole world and what I thought I knew was my life in Florida would change.  A trip was planned and I wasn't invited. A girls trip. A trip with the girls I considered family because I was in Kevin's family. I was disappointed and confused. I value my friends and when I do something big I want the people that I value to be there. I couldn't believe after 5 years that I was not valued enough to be included or respected enough to not have it posted all over facebook. Then an opportunity came up...an opportunity to do my own thing and help others as well. It was a time consuming opportunity but when it came up I felt very strongly in my heart that I needed to take the opportunity and run for my life. I felt a little bit like a fugitive making strategic moves to move forward and move on. Not everyone understands why I did this or what happened but the truth is I didn't do it because I was angry or upset. Yes it hurt to be excluded, but God sometimes uses the disappointments in life to show us what we are supposed to be doing. I needed to seek out God's plan for my life and stop allowing others to take it over.; Now I am the outreach coordinator for my moms group and a table host for my table. I also coordinate meals for new moms and cook for them whenever possible. I go to the large group events when I can to help other girls get connected and build community. In my free time I am focused on my family and helping my children grow and learn the best way, as well as developing hobbies for myself. I remembered how much I enjoyed exercising and joined a boot camp class. I remembered how much I enjoyed crafts and made a fall wreath. I remembered that in just living life, that is how relationships are built. Being a stay at home mom I needed to seek out opportunities to plug myself into again, where in the past the opportunities were just a part of life. I am happiest when I am living the life God has for me and I am happy to say that is where I am now. <3