By Shannon Nowak
This past April I was overwhelmed.
Our little Leo Patrick Nowak was born April 1, and Drew and I were ecstatic to welcome a fourth boy into our family. Having four boys might sound like a lot, and it is, but in truth, I was simply overwhelmed with gratitude! This perfect baby boy was such a blessing, upon many other blessings. And the blessings just kept coming, since the St. Mark’s Moms Group organized a meal train for us.
For eight weeks after Leo was born, women brought us delicious homemade meals. And many of the moms were pregnant, or had had their own baby within the last few months! Such busy (and tired) moms still took the time to bake an extra lasagna or assemble a supreme taco salad for us. I barely knew some of these women! But that definitely didn’t matter to them, because the St. Mark’s Moms Group, like the whole St. Mark’s community, is a loving culture of life. They cherish babies and children; they support motherhood and families. Every pregnant woman is offered the opportunity to have a meal train, and once posted, the volunteer slots fill
quickly.
The Moms Group does more than meal trains. They meet for play dates with kids, and also have evening get-togethers for fellowship without kids. They pray and support one another. Amid a secular culture marketing comfort and convenience, these women don’t hesitate to support and strengthen the beautiful but challenging vocation of motherhood. Mother Teresa said, “If you
want to change the world, go home and love your family.” Indeed, these women love their families, and they are helping others do the same.
Drew and I have been parishioners here for almost 10 years. We are so grateful for our St. Mark’s family – and what a growing family it is, too! I can think of at least 12 women in the parish who are pregnant right now! That’s going to be a lot of meal trains. . . .
If you are a mom of young kids, or know someone who might be interested in joining the St. Mark’s moms group, you can email moms@onestrongfamily.org.