"The ordinary arts we practice every day at home
are of more importance to the soul
than their simplicity might suggest."
-Thomas Moore
"For centuries young women have learned
how to run a home, how to cook, and how to raise a family
by tying themselves to their mother's or grandmother's apron strings."
Sarah won a "Homemaker of Tomorrow" award
for an essay she wrote "about the
importance of homemaking as an endangered calling."
Start Quote
This was in 1965, when the rumblings of the feminist movement
were starting to be heard across the land.
In the mid-1960s you didn't prepare your daughter for life as an adult by teaching her how to make a bed, sort white from colored laundry, organize a closet, or make a meat loaf.
Instead, many mothers handed out copies of
The Feminine Mystique
after they had finished reading it themselves.
Now, three decades later, women know how to start successful mail-order companies, launch banks and new magazines, walk in space, trade securities on Wall Street, close million dollar movie deal, get elected to national office, anchor the nightly news, write Supreme Court decisions, and negotiate.
[Which is awesome, by the way.
Women breaking through that glass ceiling, you go girls.]
But we're also running to the grocery store on our way home from work with tired, cranky children in tow, washing the laundry when everyone in the family has run out of clothes to wear, and searching for a place to sit down comfortably at the end of a long day in the midst of overwhelming pandemonium.
Many women today run businesses
but don't have a clue how to run their own households competently,
which is one of the reasons we are run ragged.
The time has come for us to look deep within.
Reconsider how caring for our homes can be an expression of our authenticity...
It's not too late for us to rediscover the
sacred soul craft of home caring.
Creating a comfortable, beautiful, well-run home
can be among our most satisfying accomplishments
as well as an illuminating spiritual experience.
Like sweat equity, channeling your time and creative energy
closer to home will produce a big emotional return
to yourself and those you love.
End Quote
Soulcraft is an activity that nourishes and shapes the soul,
it's a fulfilling work.
Have you ever done the dishes just as a therapeutic exercise?
When ever I'm mad, I clean, and the end product is that my anger is literally scrubbed away and my house is a little cleaner.
Today it's ironing.
I've got a huge basket, and the kids are going to play
and I'm going to put on a movie...or two...
it's a lot of ironing.
I have this page bookmarked,
for days when it doesn't feel like soul craft.
Some days it feels more like slavery...
But when I change my attitude,
running my home nourishes me, and my family.
Now to all of the Feminists out there, I'm not against everything that you stand for. I'm all for equality, equal pay equal rights, and there are plenty of women around the world that still don't have those. And sure, nothing is perfect here either, but it is illegal to treat a woman differently because she is a woman.
But I also believe in a woman's right to chose what she wants to do, whether it's become a CEO or stay-at-home mom, without ridicule or judgement.
And I also believe in the importance of making your home a safe place for you, and your family. And while I believe that men are great helpers, and some men do it all themselves and do it wonderfully, I believe that it's a woman's job to build her home. Not because our sex is inferior, but because we have gifts that enable us to succeed in this arena.
I also believe that you have the ability to chose and believe whatever you want.
But I hope that maybe you can be persuaded that
making your home is important,
and it doesn't have to be a burden.
***
Gratitude Journal
***
are of more importance to the soul
than their simplicity might suggest."
-Thomas Moore
"For centuries young women have learned
how to run a home, how to cook, and how to raise a family
by tying themselves to their mother's or grandmother's apron strings."
Sarah won a "Homemaker of Tomorrow" award
for an essay she wrote "about the
importance of homemaking as an endangered calling."
Start Quote
This was in 1965, when the rumblings of the feminist movement
were starting to be heard across the land.
In the mid-1960s you didn't prepare your daughter for life as an adult by teaching her how to make a bed, sort white from colored laundry, organize a closet, or make a meat loaf.
Instead, many mothers handed out copies of
The Feminine Mystique
after they had finished reading it themselves.
Now, three decades later, women know how to start successful mail-order companies, launch banks and new magazines, walk in space, trade securities on Wall Street, close million dollar movie deal, get elected to national office, anchor the nightly news, write Supreme Court decisions, and negotiate.
[Which is awesome, by the way.
Women breaking through that glass ceiling, you go girls.]
But we're also running to the grocery store on our way home from work with tired, cranky children in tow, washing the laundry when everyone in the family has run out of clothes to wear, and searching for a place to sit down comfortably at the end of a long day in the midst of overwhelming pandemonium.
Many women today run businesses
but don't have a clue how to run their own households competently,
which is one of the reasons we are run ragged.
The time has come for us to look deep within.
Reconsider how caring for our homes can be an expression of our authenticity...
It's not too late for us to rediscover the
sacred soul craft of home caring.
Creating a comfortable, beautiful, well-run home
can be among our most satisfying accomplishments
as well as an illuminating spiritual experience.
Like sweat equity, channeling your time and creative energy
closer to home will produce a big emotional return
to yourself and those you love.
End Quote
Soulcraft is an activity that nourishes and shapes the soul,
it's a fulfilling work.
Have you ever done the dishes just as a therapeutic exercise?
When ever I'm mad, I clean, and the end product is that my anger is literally scrubbed away and my house is a little cleaner.
Today it's ironing.
I've got a huge basket, and the kids are going to play
and I'm going to put on a movie...or two...
it's a lot of ironing.
I have this page bookmarked,
for days when it doesn't feel like soul craft.
Some days it feels more like slavery...
But when I change my attitude,
running my home nourishes me, and my family.
Now to all of the Feminists out there, I'm not against everything that you stand for. I'm all for equality, equal pay equal rights, and there are plenty of women around the world that still don't have those. And sure, nothing is perfect here either, but it is illegal to treat a woman differently because she is a woman.
But I also believe in a woman's right to chose what she wants to do, whether it's become a CEO or stay-at-home mom, without ridicule or judgement.
And I also believe in the importance of making your home a safe place for you, and your family. And while I believe that men are great helpers, and some men do it all themselves and do it wonderfully, I believe that it's a woman's job to build her home. Not because our sex is inferior, but because we have gifts that enable us to succeed in this arena.
I also believe that you have the ability to chose and believe whatever you want.
But I hope that maybe you can be persuaded that
making your home is important,
and it doesn't have to be a burden.
***
Gratitude Journal
***
1) I'm a mom master. I got all three kids to swimming today, got them all changed, and then Riley pooped...in her swim diaper...I got that thing cleaned in the bathroom...like a boss, all the while keeping the other two from wreaking havoc.
2) Actually being used as a secretary. I've been a secretary in I don't know how many presidencies, and have never been used. Literally, they would do things that should be my job, and then be mad at me that it wasn't done right...I'm grateful that I actually get to do the job now.
3) Robbie made the kids dinner so I could go to my meeting.
4) Avatar Korra. Good cartoons are awesome.
5) Washing machines and dryers. And plans for an awesome laundry room thanks to Robbie.
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