Today Sarah talks about "Goddesses".
Some call them idols.
They're people that we look up to,
but some people take it as far as to worship,
and even worse, compare.
The women who always have the perfect meals and snacks, their kids look gorgeous all the time, they look stunning and like they get 8 hours of sleep a night, their parties are fabulous, their homes are pintrest perfect, etc etc...
Sarah tells us about one Goddess that she went to visit at a book signing. Her daughter went with her, and they were waiting for over two hours in line. She hadn't thought to bring food, and they were starving, but they weren't going to leave after waiting so long.
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After another hour, fearing that I won't get to the front before the great one must leave, I sneak behind the barricades up to the front. I haven't waiting this long not to get at least a glimpse of the goddess in the flesh.
But I get much more than I imagined. For behind her is an altar:
a gorgeous French country table of washed pine covered in checked homespun. Upon it are mountains of fruits, vegetables, loaves of bread, copper, cooking utensils, and candles. In front of the altar, she sits in a tapestry chair behind a cherry Queen Anne desk bearing an arrangement of exquisite flowers that are only in season in designer floral shops. Nearby, tokens of devotion from the disciples have created a shrine; individual bouquets of flowers and a large pile of presents, many of them wrapped in homemade wrapping paper, variations on a theme of potato stencils.
Frankly, I've seen more than enough.
The goddess is as lovely as her images; the altar is beyond belief, except that I saw it with my own eyes. It gives me the shivers. I want to leave, but [my daughter] is horrified at the thought of going without getting our book signed.
[So] we stay.
By now, it's much too late to cook dinner, so we stop off for burgers and fries. A few minutes later, I'm fishing for my house keys...The house is dark, cold, and forlorn. No fire, no candlelight, no animation, no inviting aromas to welcome us.
"A house is no home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as for the body," Margaret Fuller wrote in Woman in the Nineteenth Century in 1845.
[While the Goddess is beautiful, looking and admiring her]
is not as filling as I imagined it would be.
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I think that it's fine to look at other people,
to look at their ideas and admire them...
just as long as you don't turn to idol worship.
Idol worship turns you away from making your home happy.
I find that little voice in my head quite often, saying
"You don't look as pretty as she does" or "Your home isn't nearly as well decorated" or "Why do you even try?"
Well, I tell that voice to keep it's mouth shut. I tell that voice "Yes, she does look pretty today, but so do I" (even if I'm rocking the mom couldn't get out of bed look) and "Yes her home is lovely and it's very much decorated to fit her style, but I like my home and my style fits me" and "I try because it makes me happy. It's my life, and I'm going to make something beautiful out of it."
So yes, I'm happy for the Goddesses and that they share their love, passion and beauty with us. But remember they're just women, like you. They have the exact same thoughts of "I'm not good enough" or "why do I even bother". Don't put them on a pedestal, and you don't put yourself on one either.
Remember, we are all human and we're all trying to find joy in our journey, no matter how Godlike they may seem.
And they cannot make your life meaningful.
Only you can do that.
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Gratitude Journal
***
1) Finally sold the stroller!
2) Robbie wasn't feeling well this morning, and then he felt better.
3) Family grocery shopping.
4) Fall feast! I actually set up a really beautiful table, with crystal and glassware and flowers. Of course I forgot to get a picture, but you know.
5) Good friends who come over to feast with us. And that their kids were totally okay with my kids being complete and utter Hellions.
In case you were wondering, this is what we had for our fall feast.
Served with Parmesan sourdough toast and a salad. And sparkling cider tasted amazing with it. This soup is really easy to make, two steps besides chopping vegetables and opening cans, simmer and enjoy!
Italian Tortellini Soup
From Grandma Veater
Ingredients:
1 lb Italian Sausage (sweet, mild
or hot)
1 cup Finely Chopped Onion
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
5 cups Beef Broth
½ cup Water
2 cups Canned Tomatoes with Juices,
Pureed
1 8oz Can Tomato Paste
1 cup Sliced Carrots
1 ½ cups Sliced Zucchini
8 oz Cheese Tortellini
½ tsp Oregano
½ tsp Basil
1 ½ tbsp Parsley
Directions:
Cook
sausage, onion and garlic. Drain excess fat if necessary.
Add
remaining ingredients and cook for at least 30 minutes or more for flavors to
blend.
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