Here is another free Facebook cover for you to enjoy. Please comment if you download, I love to hear from readers ;)
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Of Knights and Fair Maidens
I have always loved fairy tales and love stories. When I was a little girl I ate, drank and slept fairy tales. One thing that always stood out to me was that no matter how bad things got for the heroine of the story, she would always be rescued by her man. Her hero always saved her.
There is rarely a story you read that does not, in some way or another, feature a damsel-in-distress and a gallant knight in shining armor or a cowboy in a white hat rushing in to save her. There is always a villain after the lady and it is up to her true love to rescue her from the clutches of evil.
I think that deep down—even if she won’t admit it—every woman likes to be rescued. I think it is built into us and not something we can outgrow or become to mature or spiritual for. We were made to feel like we need to be saved or rescued and the hero in our lives was made to be be our husband, or our father if we are unmarried.
Men are wired to be the hero. They like to take care of the ladies in their lives. Men like to rescue and fix things. They like to save the day. You can see this even in little boys. They like to dress up as the hero and catch the bank robber and untie the girl from the railroad track in the nick of time. They like to be “the man.” This doesn’t go away when grow up—I think it grows worse ;)
Some women do not like feeling like they need saving. It makes them feel weak and helpless. (They are not, by any means, weak and helpless however.) They feel they have to be tough and do everything themselves and not depend on anyone. Even some married women are like this.
I feel sorry for the women who try to smother the need to be rescued. They are robbing themselves AND their hero of a blessing. Sometimes an area of perceived weakness can actually be an avenue to the greatest blessing you’ve ever had.
Sometimes we don’t realize that we need to be rescued. Our hero might see something that we can’t see and it is up to us to trust him enough and let him rescue us. When we put self aside and fulfill our roles as laid out in Scripture, contentment, joy and blessings will overwhelm us.
One of the advantages of a wife staying at home is less drama than if the wife had a job outside the home. Maybe not less drama so to speak, but more manageable drama. For example: (and I have seen this many times!)
The wife is having problems at the office. Whether it be issues with people, or a crazy workload, or whatever, she comes home and tells her husband about it. She is so stressed and sometimes distraught and she wants things to be fixed. Her hero—her husband—in most cases, can do absolutely nothing about it. This frustrates him because he can’t fix it. All he can do is sit back and watch his wife grow more frustrated and stressed.
On the other hand, most of the drama in a stay-at-home wife’s life is simpler. 95% percent of the time my issues and problems can be solved and handled by my hero. I’ve been rescued, he fixed the problem and feels macho. We’re both happy and all is well in the world.
In the end, we all need to be rescued—heroes and damsels alike. From the beginning of time Christ has been rescuing his Bride from the evil one, even dying to save her. Even when she was running from Him (her Savior!) and didn’t think she needed to be rescued, He had a plan that would wash her clean and draw her to him. In the end, He will carry us off to live in His castle in the sky. I can’t wait!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
How to Pray for your Husband
Here are two reminders of ways to pray for our husbands. It is very needful that we lift our men up before the Lord every day, that He would strengthen them and help them.
There is no difference between the two graphics, choose whichever one your like best ;)
There is no difference between the two graphics, choose whichever one your like best ;)
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Bluebonnets and Bittersweet Goodbyes
This morning I’m going to say goodbye to a very dear old neighbor and friend. She is moving several hours away to live with her daughter. For the first time in my entire life, Mrs. Davey will not be “on the Hill” (as we like to call the area where she and my parents live).
My parents have lived next door and across the street from Mrs. Davey and her late husband for nearly 27 years. She is like a grandmother to me and there are few memories from my childhood that do not include her. She was specially escorted in and seated with the grandmothers at my wedding. She is like family to us.
She has been the ideal example of a Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 lady to my mother and I throughout the years. She taught by example how to be a good neighbor. When someone is sick, you cook and take a meal to them. When you are going to the store, you call your neighbor and ask if there is anything she needs while you are out. When your garden produces more that you need (even if it doesn’t) you call your neighbor and share. When your neighbor is in the hospital or at the hospital with someone, you check with them to see if gardens need watering or stock needs feeding.
She taught me to crochet, and taught me much about sewing and crafting.
One of the things that sparked the friendship between Mrs. Davey and my mother was actually me ;). When I was a wee little thing—under a year old—Mom was about to mow the yard. She was on the riding lawn mower and had me in the her lap. Mrs. Davey saw all this and came over and offered to watch me while Mom mowed. That’s just what neighbors do.
Mrs. Davey is a flower gardener extraordinaire. Her potted plants thrive! Her yard is always full of fragrant blossoms and bushes. Love of flowers is something else that we have in common. There is a grassy hillside on her property beside the highway and when I was around 5 or 6 years old, Mrs. Davey decided to plant bluebonnets, our state flower, on the hill. Bluebonnets can be difficult to get started, the seeds are finicky and you have to be careful to mow where they are planted at the right time, etc. Mrs. Davey had one plant come up and bloom. That was her hope for a blue hillside the next year, unbeknown to five year old me. One afternoon while Mama and Mrs. Davey were drinking coffee, my brother and I were outside playing. Me, ever the flower enthusiast even at that young age, spied a blue flower in the pasture. I knew that Mrs. Davey loved flowers, so I had to share this one with her. It wasn’t as easy to pick as I thought it would be—bluebonnets have tough stems!
I finally plucked the flower and proudly carried it in the house to give to Mrs. Davey. I’m sure her face fell when she saw her hope for a blue hillside in my hands, but I don’t remember. I do remember that she thanked me for the flower and placed it in water, but also gave me a firm, but gentle reminder to ask before picking next time. She explained to me that some flowers—like bluebonnets—were hard to grow and get started. To this day, every time I see a bluebonnet I think of Mrs. Davey and her patience with little me.
Mrs. Davey and her husband Dock were married for 61 years when he passed away. She was a wonderful example of a wife and helpmeet. She kept him at home and cared for him until the very end. She never had anything but praise for him.
Today I’m going to go and say goodbye for a little while, hopefully not for the last time though. Even though I don’t see her very often, just know that she isn’t on the Hill makes me miss her more. Mrs. Davey is in her eighties and her health is fading. She is moving in with her daughter and I know that now, after years of taking care of others, she will be pampered and taken care of very well. As sad as I am that she is going, I am so glad that she will be in such good hands.
I am so thankful for the Godly influence this lady has had on my life.
My parents have lived next door and across the street from Mrs. Davey and her late husband for nearly 27 years. She is like a grandmother to me and there are few memories from my childhood that do not include her. She was specially escorted in and seated with the grandmothers at my wedding. She is like family to us.
She has been the ideal example of a Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 lady to my mother and I throughout the years. She taught by example how to be a good neighbor. When someone is sick, you cook and take a meal to them. When you are going to the store, you call your neighbor and ask if there is anything she needs while you are out. When your garden produces more that you need (even if it doesn’t) you call your neighbor and share. When your neighbor is in the hospital or at the hospital with someone, you check with them to see if gardens need watering or stock needs feeding.
She taught me to crochet, and taught me much about sewing and crafting.
One of the things that sparked the friendship between Mrs. Davey and my mother was actually me ;). When I was a wee little thing—under a year old—Mom was about to mow the yard. She was on the riding lawn mower and had me in the her lap. Mrs. Davey saw all this and came over and offered to watch me while Mom mowed. That’s just what neighbors do.
Mrs. Davey is a flower gardener extraordinaire. Her potted plants thrive! Her yard is always full of fragrant blossoms and bushes. Love of flowers is something else that we have in common. There is a grassy hillside on her property beside the highway and when I was around 5 or 6 years old, Mrs. Davey decided to plant bluebonnets, our state flower, on the hill. Bluebonnets can be difficult to get started, the seeds are finicky and you have to be careful to mow where they are planted at the right time, etc. Mrs. Davey had one plant come up and bloom. That was her hope for a blue hillside the next year, unbeknown to five year old me. One afternoon while Mama and Mrs. Davey were drinking coffee, my brother and I were outside playing. Me, ever the flower enthusiast even at that young age, spied a blue flower in the pasture. I knew that Mrs. Davey loved flowers, so I had to share this one with her. It wasn’t as easy to pick as I thought it would be—bluebonnets have tough stems!
I finally plucked the flower and proudly carried it in the house to give to Mrs. Davey. I’m sure her face fell when she saw her hope for a blue hillside in my hands, but I don’t remember. I do remember that she thanked me for the flower and placed it in water, but also gave me a firm, but gentle reminder to ask before picking next time. She explained to me that some flowers—like bluebonnets—were hard to grow and get started. To this day, every time I see a bluebonnet I think of Mrs. Davey and her patience with little me.
Mrs. Davey and her husband Dock were married for 61 years when he passed away. She was a wonderful example of a wife and helpmeet. She kept him at home and cared for him until the very end. She never had anything but praise for him.
Today I’m going to go and say goodbye for a little while, hopefully not for the last time though. Even though I don’t see her very often, just know that she isn’t on the Hill makes me miss her more. Mrs. Davey is in her eighties and her health is fading. She is moving in with her daughter and I know that now, after years of taking care of others, she will be pampered and taken care of very well. As sad as I am that she is going, I am so glad that she will be in such good hands.
I am so thankful for the Godly influence this lady has had on my life.