Monday, December 31, 2007
What'da Ya Know?!?
Sometimes, even in 2007 - on the eve of 2008 - Cinderella actually gets to go to the ball afterall! Isn't that exciting?!? I think so ...
... and a Happy New Year!
I wasn't going to start blogging again until 2008 had actually begun, but it's New Year's Eve and I can't resist the temptation to wish anyone who may happen to stop by my blog today ...
I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to 2008. I had a wonderful December (oh ... the posts I plan to publish as soon as I have some special pictures on my computer, ready and available to upload onto my blog!) and am looking forward to 2008. I'm sure it will have its trials and heartaches, but I'm also sure it will have its blessings and joys too!
A Happy, Wonderful and Blessed New Year!
I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to 2008. I had a wonderful December (oh ... the posts I plan to publish as soon as I have some special pictures on my computer, ready and available to upload onto my blog!) and am looking forward to 2008. I'm sure it will have its trials and heartaches, but I'm also sure it will have its blessings and joys too!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Until We Meet Again ...
Unbelievable as it seems, it's exactly six months tomorrow since I started blogging!
Wow! I've loved it ... it's been so much fun and a real blessing. I look forward to at least another six months of blogging, God willing, in the New Year and beyond!
However, as of today I am not blogging for a week or two ... until after Christmas, anyway. Life is just so busy right now and I want to be able to enjoy it, without feeling bad because I haven't blogged forever. So I am not going to be blogging, but living (and enjoying it!). I'm looking forward to blogging again after Christmas, so until we meet again ...
Happy Christmas!
I'm praying that each and every one of you who reads my blog has a blessed Christmas, filled with peace and joy, good times and fun moments!
Mary: The Handmaid of the Lord
When I was thirteen, Mary – Jesus' mother – was my heroine and role-model. Because she had been chosen by God to be Jesus' mother, I admired Mary tremendously and wanted – with all the ardor of a thirteen-year-old – to be 'just like' her. I read a magazine article that suggested that Mary was thirteen when she became Jesus' mother, due to the early age at which Jewish girls got betrothed and married in New Testament times. That thrilled me! I could read the Biblical accounts of the angel's visit to Mary and his announcement of Jesus' arrival, of Joseph an Mary's journey to Bethlehem and of Jesus' birth ... thinking, “Mary was just my age when this happened!” and wondering, “What was it like? What did she think? How did she feel?”
In the ten years that have passed since I wanted to be 'just like' Mary and dreamed of her life and experiences, I haven't really thought of Mary much ... and when I have thought of her, I've done so with a smile, remembering my thirteen-year-old admiration for her. But now I am twenty-three and Mary is once again my heroine and role-model. Come on a little journey with me and find out why ...
It was an ordinary day in Nazareth and Mary was going about her ordinary business. She was quite young – maybe only thirteen or maybe older, in her late teens or early twenties. Her age doesn't really matter, since the Bible tells us all we need to know – that she was a young woman, unmarried, a virgin. As a young unmarried woman in New Testament times, she would have lived with her family ... her parents if they were alive, some other relatives if her parents were dead. She would have had a full and busy family life ... helping to keep house, cook, wash and care for a family. If she had little siblings or little nephews and nieces, she would have helped to look after them, loving them, teaching them, amusing them.
Mary would have had friends, older women and young women her own age, Jewish women who loved God and tried to obey His law. They would have met in the synagogue on the sabbath and festival days, in the market and at the well. They would have encouraged each other in loving God and their families. They might have been closely related to each other or just friends ... they would definitely have formed a strong and supportive (and maybe critical too) community. Mary would have learned from her family and her friend, learning how to love God and how to obey His law ... from the older women she would have learned how a women thinks and feels and how she should behave and live her life.
Since God singled Mary out to be Jesus' mother, I think it's safe to assume that she learned well ... that she truly loved God and tried to obey His law, that she really knew Him and had a healthy relationship with Him, that she behaved and lived her life in a way that pleased Him. Perhaps it was all this that led Joseph, a carpenter, to betroth Mary to him as his future wife. In New Testament times, a betrothal was an binding as a marriage, so Joseph and Mary were – at the beginning of Luke – already committed to each other for life, requiring a legal divorce if one or other of them 'changed their mind'. Everyone in the community would have recognised Mary as Joseph's future wife and how she behaved and lived her life would reflect on him as if she was already his wife. Perhaps Mary was actually preparing for their marriage and waiting for Joseph to come and make her his wife and take her to their home.
And then – while Mary was busy, maybe helping to keep house, amusing little children or praying – an angel appeared to her and said, “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” Mary was – as I think I would have been! - 'troubled', trying to figure out what sort of greeting that was! The angel continued, “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
Can you imagine how you would respond if an angel appeared to you and told you this? I can ... and I'm afraid that I might not respond very graciously, probably squeaking, “I beg your pardon?!?” But Mary did respond graciously and she didn't (apparently!) squeak! She asked one practical question about how she could have a baby when she was unmarried, a virgin. The angel answered her question and Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” And then the angel left ... and everything happened as he said it would, Mary becoming pregnant and giving birth to a baby boy ... and becoming Jesus' mother.
I read this story – which is so familiar and so special – again recently and was once again impressed by Mary, although for different reasons than I was ten years ago! The phrase that really jumped off the page and impressed me was, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord ...”
Think about it ... the angel has just given Mary life-changing news, telling her that she has found favour with God and that His will for her life is that she gives birth to the Messiah of Israel and the whole world! For generations, Jewish women had dreamed of giving birth to the Messiah ... and now Mary had been chosen for that amazing and awesome privilege and responsibility! A lot of people have talked about the social stigma Mary willingly suffered to be Jesus' mother, being a single mother in a strict religious community where her story of the angel's visit and message might be disbelieved and where the penalty for adultery was death. But there are other sacrifices Mary willingly made ... imagine how her family would have felt when they discovered that she was pregnant ... and remember that Joseph would have 'put her aside', had the angel not appeared to him to confirm Mary's story and assure him that the baby was from God and was the Messiah.
All those things aside, imagine Mary's feelings ... when I was 13, I might have thought myself equal to being Messiah's mother, but now? The very idea of such an awesome responsibility makes me feel so inadequate and incapable!
Think of the doubts and fears that may have raced through Mary's heart ... doubts and fears like, “What if no one believes that the angel appeared to me and told me that the baby is from God and is the Messiah? What will my parents, grandparents, siblings and friends say? What will Joseph say? Who will look after me and the baby? What if I'm not a good enough mother?” Maybe these doubts and fears did race though her heart or maybe they didn't, the Bible doesn't tell us one way or the other! What the Bible does tell us is Mary's response: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord ...”
The word that the King James Version translates 'handmaid' is a Greek word, 'doulos', meaning 'slave-girl'. In New Testament times, a slave-girl belonged to her master or mistress and her life revolved around that man or woman. A slave-girl had one life, one job, one responsibility ... to serve and obey her master or mistress. And – given the news that God's will for her life is to be Jesus' mother – Mary says, “Behold, I am God's doulos ... or slave-girl ... or handmaid.” In other words, “I belong to God ... my life revolves around Him ... my life, my job, my responsibility it to serve and obey Him. So if He has chosen me to be Jesus' mother ... so be it, may His will be done, whatever the cost.”
This has impressed and inspired me. But it's also challenged me! And there are two reasons for this ...
The first is that when the angel appeared to Mary with news that would change Mary's life and require great sacrifice (of her social reputation, her family and friends' trust and respect, her physical health and strength, her time and energy, her maternal love and concern), Mary said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord ...” She asks one practical question, but she doesn't voice any doubts or questions about God's choice ... about any of the things she would sacrifice or about her own ability and suitability.
The second reason why Mary's story challenged me, is because I believe that her ready response to God's awesome call shows her heart attitude. Of course, when the angel appeared and gave Mary God's message, she had to choose between living life her way and living life God's way. Maybe she took that decision 'just like that', without previously thinking about it. But I don't think she did ... I don't think she described herself as 'the handmaid of the Lord' 'just like that' ... I think she described herself as 'the handmaid of the Lord', because that's who and what she considered herself to be ... because she lived her life as 'the handmaid of the Lord' and would have done so even if the angel had never appeared to her and delivered God's message.
And those two reasons combine to make me think long and hard about myself, my relationship with God, my attitude to God and His will for my life. First of all, when God reveals His will for my life, do I question Him and doubt myself (and His ability to work in and through me in spite of my failings and shortcomings) or do I say, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord?” And secondly, do I live life as 'the handmaid of the Lord', so that when God reveals His will I am already living in submission to Him and am ready to say, “Be it unto me according to Thy word ... ”?
How do I live as 'the handmaid of the Lord'? I have been asking myself this question for some time ... finally I wrote in my diary, “Maybe living as 'the handmaid of the L-rd is about being all God's and being set apart for Him. But what does it mean to be all God's and set apart for Him? I doubt that anyone (least of all me!) can truly plumb the depths of the answer to this question, but ... I think that in part the answer to this question is that being all God's and being set apart for Him means ... breathing in and out for Him; feeling, thinking and being for Him; being firstly, lastly, wholly and only His. Finding the meaning of myself and of life in and because of Him. Being – every moment of every day, His, His 'handmaid'.”
I suggest that you go and read about Mary ... look her name up in a concordance and read everything the Bible has to say about her, remembering that she found favor in the sight of God and that she described herself as 'the handmaid of the Lord'. Then prayerfully ask yourself, “Can I say, 'I belong to God ... my life revolves around Him ... my life, my job, my responsibility it to serve and obey Him. So if He has chosen me to be or to do ... whatever ... so be it, may His will be done, whatever the cost.'?” Don't be afraid to ask yourself that question and don't be afraid to answer it honestly. Don't be intimidated if you struggle to say those words whole-heartedly. So do I ... so do most of us, I suspect! But tell God you want to be His 'handmaid' and ask Him to show you how to live as His 'handmaid', every moment of every day of your life!
And remember Mary ... I don't think any woman is too old to have a heroine and role-model or two, whom she admires and respects, consciously or unconsciously modeling her life on. And Mary is, I believe, one of the best heroines and role-models you can have!
In the ten years that have passed since I wanted to be 'just like' Mary and dreamed of her life and experiences, I haven't really thought of Mary much ... and when I have thought of her, I've done so with a smile, remembering my thirteen-year-old admiration for her. But now I am twenty-three and Mary is once again my heroine and role-model. Come on a little journey with me and find out why ...
It was an ordinary day in Nazareth and Mary was going about her ordinary business. She was quite young – maybe only thirteen or maybe older, in her late teens or early twenties. Her age doesn't really matter, since the Bible tells us all we need to know – that she was a young woman, unmarried, a virgin. As a young unmarried woman in New Testament times, she would have lived with her family ... her parents if they were alive, some other relatives if her parents were dead. She would have had a full and busy family life ... helping to keep house, cook, wash and care for a family. If she had little siblings or little nephews and nieces, she would have helped to look after them, loving them, teaching them, amusing them.
Mary would have had friends, older women and young women her own age, Jewish women who loved God and tried to obey His law. They would have met in the synagogue on the sabbath and festival days, in the market and at the well. They would have encouraged each other in loving God and their families. They might have been closely related to each other or just friends ... they would definitely have formed a strong and supportive (and maybe critical too) community. Mary would have learned from her family and her friend, learning how to love God and how to obey His law ... from the older women she would have learned how a women thinks and feels and how she should behave and live her life.
Since God singled Mary out to be Jesus' mother, I think it's safe to assume that she learned well ... that she truly loved God and tried to obey His law, that she really knew Him and had a healthy relationship with Him, that she behaved and lived her life in a way that pleased Him. Perhaps it was all this that led Joseph, a carpenter, to betroth Mary to him as his future wife. In New Testament times, a betrothal was an binding as a marriage, so Joseph and Mary were – at the beginning of Luke – already committed to each other for life, requiring a legal divorce if one or other of them 'changed their mind'. Everyone in the community would have recognised Mary as Joseph's future wife and how she behaved and lived her life would reflect on him as if she was already his wife. Perhaps Mary was actually preparing for their marriage and waiting for Joseph to come and make her his wife and take her to their home.
And then – while Mary was busy, maybe helping to keep house, amusing little children or praying – an angel appeared to her and said, “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” Mary was – as I think I would have been! - 'troubled', trying to figure out what sort of greeting that was! The angel continued, “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
Can you imagine how you would respond if an angel appeared to you and told you this? I can ... and I'm afraid that I might not respond very graciously, probably squeaking, “I beg your pardon?!?” But Mary did respond graciously and she didn't (apparently!) squeak! She asked one practical question about how she could have a baby when she was unmarried, a virgin. The angel answered her question and Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” And then the angel left ... and everything happened as he said it would, Mary becoming pregnant and giving birth to a baby boy ... and becoming Jesus' mother.
I read this story – which is so familiar and so special – again recently and was once again impressed by Mary, although for different reasons than I was ten years ago! The phrase that really jumped off the page and impressed me was, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord ...”
Think about it ... the angel has just given Mary life-changing news, telling her that she has found favour with God and that His will for her life is that she gives birth to the Messiah of Israel and the whole world! For generations, Jewish women had dreamed of giving birth to the Messiah ... and now Mary had been chosen for that amazing and awesome privilege and responsibility! A lot of people have talked about the social stigma Mary willingly suffered to be Jesus' mother, being a single mother in a strict religious community where her story of the angel's visit and message might be disbelieved and where the penalty for adultery was death. But there are other sacrifices Mary willingly made ... imagine how her family would have felt when they discovered that she was pregnant ... and remember that Joseph would have 'put her aside', had the angel not appeared to him to confirm Mary's story and assure him that the baby was from God and was the Messiah.
All those things aside, imagine Mary's feelings ... when I was 13, I might have thought myself equal to being Messiah's mother, but now? The very idea of such an awesome responsibility makes me feel so inadequate and incapable!
Think of the doubts and fears that may have raced through Mary's heart ... doubts and fears like, “What if no one believes that the angel appeared to me and told me that the baby is from God and is the Messiah? What will my parents, grandparents, siblings and friends say? What will Joseph say? Who will look after me and the baby? What if I'm not a good enough mother?” Maybe these doubts and fears did race though her heart or maybe they didn't, the Bible doesn't tell us one way or the other! What the Bible does tell us is Mary's response: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord ...”
The word that the King James Version translates 'handmaid' is a Greek word, 'doulos', meaning 'slave-girl'. In New Testament times, a slave-girl belonged to her master or mistress and her life revolved around that man or woman. A slave-girl had one life, one job, one responsibility ... to serve and obey her master or mistress. And – given the news that God's will for her life is to be Jesus' mother – Mary says, “Behold, I am God's doulos ... or slave-girl ... or handmaid.” In other words, “I belong to God ... my life revolves around Him ... my life, my job, my responsibility it to serve and obey Him. So if He has chosen me to be Jesus' mother ... so be it, may His will be done, whatever the cost.”
This has impressed and inspired me. But it's also challenged me! And there are two reasons for this ...
The first is that when the angel appeared to Mary with news that would change Mary's life and require great sacrifice (of her social reputation, her family and friends' trust and respect, her physical health and strength, her time and energy, her maternal love and concern), Mary said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord ...” She asks one practical question, but she doesn't voice any doubts or questions about God's choice ... about any of the things she would sacrifice or about her own ability and suitability.
The second reason why Mary's story challenged me, is because I believe that her ready response to God's awesome call shows her heart attitude. Of course, when the angel appeared and gave Mary God's message, she had to choose between living life her way and living life God's way. Maybe she took that decision 'just like that', without previously thinking about it. But I don't think she did ... I don't think she described herself as 'the handmaid of the Lord' 'just like that' ... I think she described herself as 'the handmaid of the Lord', because that's who and what she considered herself to be ... because she lived her life as 'the handmaid of the Lord' and would have done so even if the angel had never appeared to her and delivered God's message.
And those two reasons combine to make me think long and hard about myself, my relationship with God, my attitude to God and His will for my life. First of all, when God reveals His will for my life, do I question Him and doubt myself (and His ability to work in and through me in spite of my failings and shortcomings) or do I say, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord?” And secondly, do I live life as 'the handmaid of the Lord', so that when God reveals His will I am already living in submission to Him and am ready to say, “Be it unto me according to Thy word ... ”?
How do I live as 'the handmaid of the Lord'? I have been asking myself this question for some time ... finally I wrote in my diary, “Maybe living as 'the handmaid of the L-rd is about being all God's and being set apart for Him. But what does it mean to be all God's and set apart for Him? I doubt that anyone (least of all me!) can truly plumb the depths of the answer to this question, but ... I think that in part the answer to this question is that being all God's and being set apart for Him means ... breathing in and out for Him; feeling, thinking and being for Him; being firstly, lastly, wholly and only His. Finding the meaning of myself and of life in and because of Him. Being – every moment of every day, His, His 'handmaid'.”
I suggest that you go and read about Mary ... look her name up in a concordance and read everything the Bible has to say about her, remembering that she found favor in the sight of God and that she described herself as 'the handmaid of the Lord'. Then prayerfully ask yourself, “Can I say, 'I belong to God ... my life revolves around Him ... my life, my job, my responsibility it to serve and obey Him. So if He has chosen me to be or to do ... whatever ... so be it, may His will be done, whatever the cost.'?” Don't be afraid to ask yourself that question and don't be afraid to answer it honestly. Don't be intimidated if you struggle to say those words whole-heartedly. So do I ... so do most of us, I suspect! But tell God you want to be His 'handmaid' and ask Him to show you how to live as His 'handmaid', every moment of every day of your life!
And remember Mary ... I don't think any woman is too old to have a heroine and role-model or two, whom she admires and respects, consciously or unconsciously modeling her life on. And Mary is, I believe, one of the best heroines and role-models you can have!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
I Wonder Why ...
... things that are good for me, like Good Green Vegetables and Good Honest Work, don't 'call' to me the way things are are not so good - but oh so nice! - 'call' to me? Things like ... chocolate and a lazy afternoon cuddled up beside the fire, reading a good book. Sigh ...
My 'Wait for Me' Ring
So ... I was thinking this could be fun!
This is a picture of my 'wait for me' ring. I know a lot of girls and young women my age and older/younger have a similar ring ... called a purity ring, a chastity ring, a 'true love waits' ring ... or something like that! I call my ring my 'wait for me' ring, because Rebecca St James' song 'Wait for Me' is so beautiful and expresses a lot of the thoughts and feelings I have about my ring and about my future husband. If you're reading this and you have a similar ring, why don't you leave a comment sharing a little bit about your ring - what it looks like, when you got it, what it means to you?
My ring ... well, it's silver, with a little amethyst stone. I got it when I was 22, to replace an older - and plainer - ring that I got when I was 14. I still have my older ring, but it's broken and I can't wear it now. For about a year I didn't think I'd bother to replace it, because it was just a ring and I was 'all grown up' and I might never get marries anyway and ... well, what with one thing and another, it wasn't at the top of my priority list and I didn't bother to do anything about it. Anyway, then started thinking that I would like to replace it after all and then I saw this ring ...
When I was 14, every single girl I knew had a ring like this and for the longest time I was the only girl who didn't have a ring. I wanted one, but my parents didn't feel the time was right for me to have one - because to decision to 'wait' - in honour and purity and patience - is not one to be taken because of church 'fashion' or peer pressure. I was very young and my parents didn't want me to consider a ring a guarantee that I wouldn't make mistakes or get hurt - as some of the girls I knew considered their rings. But, eventually, I got my ring ... and eventually, eight years later, I replaced it.
I wear my ring almost every day. I don't consider it a guarantee that I won't make mistakes or get hurt. Almost ten years of life have taught me that ... but though these ten years have been difficult and painful at times, I appreciate my ring so much more now than then. But my ring is a reminder:
That if God plans for me to marry and has a guy out there for me, well, I am his future wife and I need to wait for him - as I hope and pray he is waiting for me too. Some people might scoff at the idea of a ring being a reminder of such a thing, but it is ... sometimes when I'm out with a group of friends and am talking andd laughing with (or even at!) guys, I'll catch sight of my ring or feel it pressing against my fingers and remember ... to be a little extra feminine and reserved, because I'm my future husband's future wife.
And one day ... well, if God plans it so, one day my future husband will replace my 'wait for me' ring with his engagement ring and wedding ring.
And that will be unbelievably and breathtakingly awesome!
How about you?
***
Wait for Me
Darling did you know that I
I dream about you
Waiting for the look in your eyes
When we meet for the first time
Darling did you know that I
I pray about you
Praying that you will hold on
And keep your loving eyes only for me
Cause,I am waiting for
Praying for you darling
Wait for me too
Wait for me as I wait for you
Cause, I am waiting for
Praying for you darling
Wait for me too
Wait for me as I wait for you
Darling wait
Darling wait
Darling did you know I dream about life together
Knowing it will be forever
I'll be yours and you'll be mine
And darling when I say
Till death do us part
I'll mean it with all of my heart
Now and always faithful to you
Cause, I am waiting for
Praying for you darling
Wait for me too
Wait for me as I wait for you
Cause, I am waiting for
Praying for you darling
Wait for me too
Wait for me as I wait for you
Darling wait
Darling wait
Now I know you may have made mistakes
But there's forgiveness and a second chance
So wait for me
Darling wait for me
Wait for me
Wait for me
Rececca St James
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
In Defense of Domestic Daughters
I wrote this some time ago and found it today. It made me smile, so I thought I'd post it on my blog and hope that it makes someone else smile too!
Who was it who first perpetrated the lie that domestic daughters are somehow unnatural and lazy?!? I have no idea!
Someone asks me, "So ... if you don't go to college and you don't go to work, what DO you do?!?" I blush. I open my mouth. I close my mouth. I twist my fingers round and round. I gaze at my shoes. I feel like a 14-yr-old again ...
I'm a domestic daughter faced with the accusation of unnaturalness and laziness and I - who whirl through every day in a small tornado of domestic activity - cannot think of anything that I 'do'. Or rather, I cannot think of anything 'important' and 'valuable'.
I'm just ... domestic.
Unsurprisingly, my defense of domestic daughters tends to leave my audience untouched and unmoved, not to mention unconverted!
A little while ago I discovered the following extract in a book, c.1914. I think it's wonderful:
"And what do you do, Miss Pixie?"
She stared at him blankly and said, "Now if you had asked me to say what to do NOT do, it would have been easier. Have you any sort of idea what it means to keep a home going with big ideas and small means ... ? If you have, you can imagine the list. Dusting, sewing, mending, turning, making, unmaking, helping my sister Bridgie, amusing the children, soothing the servants, humouring my brother-in-law Dick, making dresses, trimming hats, covering cushions, teaching the alphabet, practising songs, arranging flowers, watering plants, going to shops, making up parcels, writing notes, making ..."
He held up his hands in protest, "Stop - have pity on me! What an appalling list. I am overcome with the thought of so much activity!"
"I'm domestic!" said Pixie.
How I wish that I could answer people's questions that convincingly! That pretty much says it all, although things have changed in almost 100 years and my day looks a little (!) different from Pixie's!
Maybe one day I'll find the courage and confidence to counter the lie that I'm unnatural and lazy with the truth. I do more in one day than I can keep track of. I do important and valuable work. I'm doing what God has called me to do for Him today. I'm ... domestic!
Who was it who first perpetrated the lie that domestic daughters are somehow unnatural and lazy?!? I have no idea!
Someone asks me, "So ... if you don't go to college and you don't go to work, what DO you do?!?" I blush. I open my mouth. I close my mouth. I twist my fingers round and round. I gaze at my shoes. I feel like a 14-yr-old again ...
I'm a domestic daughter faced with the accusation of unnaturalness and laziness and I - who whirl through every day in a small tornado of domestic activity - cannot think of anything that I 'do'. Or rather, I cannot think of anything 'important' and 'valuable'.
I'm just ... domestic.
Unsurprisingly, my defense of domestic daughters tends to leave my audience untouched and unmoved, not to mention unconverted!
A little while ago I discovered the following extract in a book, c.1914. I think it's wonderful:
"And what do you do, Miss Pixie?"
She stared at him blankly and said, "Now if you had asked me to say what to do NOT do, it would have been easier. Have you any sort of idea what it means to keep a home going with big ideas and small means ... ? If you have, you can imagine the list. Dusting, sewing, mending, turning, making, unmaking, helping my sister Bridgie, amusing the children, soothing the servants, humouring my brother-in-law Dick, making dresses, trimming hats, covering cushions, teaching the alphabet, practising songs, arranging flowers, watering plants, going to shops, making up parcels, writing notes, making ..."
He held up his hands in protest, "Stop - have pity on me! What an appalling list. I am overcome with the thought of so much activity!"
"I'm domestic!" said Pixie.
How I wish that I could answer people's questions that convincingly! That pretty much says it all, although things have changed in almost 100 years and my day looks a little (!) different from Pixie's!
Maybe one day I'll find the courage and confidence to counter the lie that I'm unnatural and lazy with the truth. I do more in one day than I can keep track of. I do important and valuable work. I'm doing what God has called me to do for Him today. I'm ... domestic!
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