Elisa Morgan: A Mother on a Mission

giving back • my world • moms making a difference • moms making a difference

by Mom It Forward on June 22nd, 2011 | 1 Comment »

If you've ever had young children, I know you've had this moment: you're carrying a crying toddler in one arm, settling a loud dispute between two of your other kids, preparing dinner, ignoring perhaps the ringing phone, and tidying up the living room as your husband comes home, expecting to be fed. These moments are a part of motherhood, albeit a stressful part, and what's important is the way we handle them, not that we have them in the first place. I would argue that the good moms are the ones who know how to rely on good resources, who have a good pool of information and support they can draw upon when they needed

Any mother of young children who has MOPS in their arsenal has a definite advantage. MOPS is Mothers Of PreSchoolers, an organization that has, for almost 40 years, been dedicated to helping these moms understand the importance of their role and providing them with the support they need to do a good job at it, particularly through a small group/club-type setting. Elisa Morgan headed up MOPS for20 years, and is now President Emerita and a featured writer for the organization's MOMsense magazine. Like Jill Savage of Hearts at Home, our own Jyl Johnson Pattee of MomItForward, and others, she is so passionate about helping moms through those stressful moments to the wonderful ones on the other side, that she has made it her life's work.

Indeed, under Elisa's leadership, MOPS grew from 350 to over 4,000 mom groups throughout the United States and in 30 other countries, impacting over 100,000 moms every year. She has a Masters' degree from Denver Seminary. She served as the Dean of Women of Western Bible College (now Colorado Christian University). She has authored 15 books about motherhood, spirituality, and leadership, and is a frequent public speaker. She is a mother of two. She is no stranger to facing down stress and turning it into accomplishment.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said: "The real religion of the world comes from women much more than from men – from mothers most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms." As moms, our responsibilities are the most unique in the world. They are uniquely challenging, incurring sometimes incomparable exhaustion, confusion, or frustration. They can also be the source of our deepest-felt pride, since they are attached to the pieces of our souls we call our children. It is comforting to know that women like Elisa Morgan, and organizations like MOPS, are out there to support us as moms.

Find out more about Elisa and MOPS at www.mops.org, www.fullfill.org, and at www.shedidwhatshecould.com, the site for her latest book.

How do you show your support for other moms? In what ways can you help other moms understand the importance of their role and provide them with the support they need to do a good job at it?