I am sitting here in my comfy desk chair, sipping hot chocolate with marshmallows in my favorite snowman mug, wearing a baggy sweat shirt and old faded sweat pants, hair pulled up in a loose ponytail all while watching the sun fade away and darkness appear. Today was a warm 50 degrees (the past 2 days were very chilly never making it out of the 30's). This nonchalant appearance is a farce. Many things are looming over me these days and causing anxiety.
As I become older and hopefully wiser, I am becoming more politically aware, more conservative, more morally minded, more financially conscious, and more economically interested. In my late teens and early 20's, I THOUGHT I believed in equal rights for men and women. I THOUGHT I was liberal thinking. I THOUGHT I was a Christian. I also THOUGHT that these three things were separate and non related issues. I never wanted to be controversial, mostly because I never had a solid thought of my own before. But as I have become more aware of things, I am fearful.
The current Obama care ad depicting a young lady wanting to "get" with a cute guy she just met and excited that her birth control is covered by insurance sickens me. I shouldn't be shocked as this isn't new thinking in our current mainstream lifestyles, but then again, it does. I don't want my boys to be taught that it is ok to "hook" up with a girl as long as she's on birth control. What happened to good old fashioned courting? You know. That period of time when a man and a woman invest time to learn about each other, flirt a little, and practice self control. Are we so deprived and self-indulged that we need to skip all that and go straight to the bedroom? By the way, there is nothing better or more secure than having a physical relationship with the one person you love. I want to raise my boys to respect women and their bodies, regardless of how a woman portrays herself. There are so many outside influences like media, pornography, social networks that weaken a woman's image. But ultimately, it is the parents' job to teach and guide their children. Even at my children's young age, I pray for their future spouses. I pray for there to be a genuine love for each other, but only after they have a genuine love for God.
It is sometimes hard for me to have these opinions now when in my younger days I didn't live by these rules. Maybe down deep I always knew what was right, but I didn't care enough. It certainly wasn't my parents fault. They were my biggest fans and they lived a moral lifestyle. Poor self confidence and a lack of self worth led me down a path that was often times wrong but I am thankful for a forgiving and merciful God who has made me new.
I am not going to debate whether or not in theory Obama care is a good or bad endeavor. Frankly, I am not versed well enough in the plan to say. But if it takes this kind of shock advertising to make it a "sellable" item, then I think we need to really think this through. I worry about our Nation.
When I first got married, I truly believed that Beau and I were an equal partnership (but really, in my mind, I was in control). I was a princess to be taken care of and doted on. Now, I know that we are equals in God's eyes, but we have different positions in our family. Those positions are equally important, but one carries with it a huge responsibility. Beau is the leader of our home. That was one of the hardest concepts for me to understand when I became a Christian. But leader doesn't mean dictatorship. It means responsibility and accountability. When Beau gently leads and I graciously submit, we have a most loving relationship that is rewarding to both of us and honoring to God. It means he loves me completely and I respect him genuinely. Don't we all want to be loved and respected? When both partners embrace these roles, it is freeing and safe. One day, Beau will stand before God and be held accountable for his role as husband and father. So I now have a much deeper appreciation for his role in our family. Today, as an adult that has been married for almost 16 years, I understand what a true partnership means. However, I worry about and pray for families in our nation today that are separated, divorced, adulterous, unloving, unforgiving, and selfish.
I am not an eloquent speaker nor a skillful writer, but my simple blog is therapeutic for me. And sometimes, just sometimes, others read my blog and feel they can relate.
But as I was pondering over these things today, I was given a sweet break. Will and Ollie came home today with their artistic renditions of something. I haven't quite figured it out yet, but I enjoy these simple pleasures. They were so excited to make, paint, glaze, and fire their pottery in school. Over the years, Zander has come home with some kind of art piece and has proudly placed it on my "art" shelf. But today, Will and Oliver have joined the shelf. Now, please know, that no one in this family is an artist (as you can see from the pictures). But I love each one of the masterpieces none the less. As the saying goes, "only a mother could love."
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| My version of ET made in third grade (I think) |
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| Side view---not any prettier |
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| Zander's bowl |
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Zander's something? I'm not sure what to call it.
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| William's bowl |
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| Oliver's bowl |
