Saturday morning my mother calls. I missed the call cuz I had to take my oldest boy to the dentist but I promptly called my mother when I got back home. We chatted for a while and she asked if I had made any friends. I said I speak to my friends all the time but she wanted to know if I had made any friends close to home. I replied not really.
Then she asked if I had joined a church yet. I said that we have one in mind that we've gone to a couple of times and we want the children to go there since they have a really extensive and active children's ministry, even a special class for Joshua, but we've just haven't made it there yet. She goes on to say that I need to network and make friends and what about Heidi (not the lady's real name) who lives a couple of blocks from you? She goes on to say that Heidi left the "truth" for the same reasons I did (I so wanted to asked her what she thought those reasons were and then set her straight but I didn't really want to go there ) and she has children that go to the same schools that mine go to and we have so much in common.
Heidi is studying with a friend of my mother's and is attending my mother's hall the next city over which my mother pointedly expressed that Heidi and her family really should be attending a hall in my neck of the woods. So Mother goes on to say that the next time I see Heidi I should say hi and strike up a conversation. Ok, I see Heidi every day. I smile and say hi in passing. I've even seen Heidi's husband at school who didn't speak even though I'm quite sure he knew who I was. Heidi used to say a whole lot more than hi but ever since I've been wearing mi cross all that stopped. Again I didn't tell that to my mother, just said yeah I see her at the kids' school everyday.
Here's the kicker: A few hours after I spoke to my mother, Heidi's oldest son called for my oldest son and invited him over to hang out. Coincidence? I think not.
I don't make friends easily and I hate being pushed towards anyone by my mother, especially when I know my mother underlying motive is to pull me back (and possibly my kids) into the bOrg.
I don't see anything progressing passed the hi stage for Heidi and I.