Hooray! (It was sold out pretty quickly when it first came out.) I don’t think they have many copies though so go grab it HERE if you want a copy!
I know I’m biased but it is so good. Really inspiring from a mother’s perspective as well as a GRANDmother:)
Also, my mom will be at the City Creek Deseret Book (Downtown Salt Lake …45 W South Temple) from 12:30-2:30 TOMORROW if you’re local and want to go pick up a copy from her. I’m pretty sure my dad will be there too with his new grandfathering book.
Ok, one last thing as Mother’s Day approaches…I came across this quote a while back and copied it down because it’s so along the lines of all the social media things that have been so heavily on my mind lately, and it’s also poignantly beautiful when I think of Mother’s Day coming up. I know Mother’s Day is a tough one for some. We get fussed up about whether we’re doing a good enough job, we compare ourselves to others, perhaps we are not yet a mother in the sense that we had always hoped to be. For whatever reason, I know this day can be a tough one. So I thought this quote from Patricia Holland was appropriate:
“If I were Satan and wanted to destroy a society, I think I would stage a full blown blitz on its women. I would keep them so distraught and distracted that they would never find the calming strength and serenity for which their sex has always been known. He has effectively done that, catching us in the crunch of trying to be superhuman instead of realistically striving to reach our individual purpose and unique God-given potential within such diversity. He tauntingly teases us that if we don’t have it all- fame, fortune, families, and fun- and have it every minute all the time, we have been short changed; we are second class citizens in the race of life. You’d have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to get these messages in today’s world, and as a sex we are struggling, and our society struggles. Drugs, teenage pregnancies, divorce, family violence, and suicide are some of the every-increasing side effects of our collective life in the express lane.”
Yes, we live in a fast-paced life. And it is so easy to compare our worst to other’s “bests”…thrown out there in everything we see surrounding us. So sometimes lose track of our own selves and we run and leap and bound struggling to morph into something we perhaps weren’t really meant to be in the first place. When in actuality we need to seek not the approval of others, but of our own best selves…of the woman God wants and knows we can be. That unique woman who is so intricately and beautifully different from everyone else for a reason. It takes time and contemplation and quiet to try to figure out who that best self of ours is…and how to strive to become more of her…not of our neighbor.
May we all stand up and have the courage, as mothers and nurturers and WOMEN and strive to find our own best selves as we lift up others around us and find that “calming strength and serenity for which our sex has always been known.” (I love that part.) We are strong and we can make a difference. May we have the courage to be imperfect as we strive to find that best self.
That is all.
Sending out much love this Friday morning to all the women out there reading this. Thank you for being strong and for building me up through the years through your kindness and examples and interesting comments here. So grateful for this little spot to learn and grow.
(If you want to read the whole article from Patricia Holland, it is HERE.)
This kind of description/generalization of what women should be "calming strength and serenity for which their sex has always been known." (Known by who?) Is so limiting and disappointing. I'm not here to be a "serene" influence and a calming force. I'm here to create, become, and be all that I can and to help my husband and children do the same. And I am here to love fully and and completely with my whole self; not just the sweet parts. I am NOT A HELPMATE; I'm the star of my show. (And yes for me that show includes lots of wonderful love, cuddles, cooking, cleaning, and sweet times with my family.)
I have struggled with the word "helpmate" lately too and I found these two articles to ring so true to what I really feel that I am. The Hebrew word that has been translated helpmate in this case, is translated to mean "rescue" "strong" or "brave" in every other case in the Bible. Based on your comment I thought you might like the articles too.
https://godswordtowomen.org/ezerkenegdo.htm
http://www.womeninthescriptures.com/2010/11/real-meaning-of-term-help-meet.html
Also I love how you define your purpose: "to create, become, and be all that I can to help my husband and children do the same."
Maybe the reason I loved that part of the quote so much was because I'm working hard on being more "serene" and "calm" in my mothering right now….I feel like it has the power to change the atmosphere in our home in a beautiful way. There is so much strength and power in serenity. The women I look up to most (including my mother) have those qualities yet they are some of the most powerful women I know. I don't think you have to choose between those qualities. It's so interesting how different things hit us from the different angles we're coming from.
I haven't read Nicole's articles yet…(they look great, Nicole, and I'll read them tonight), but my sis-in-law sent such a great one that sounds really similar to those titles last week. I loved it and want to discuss it. It is here: https://happiness-seekers.com/2018/04/30/gods-secret-tribute-to-women-a-hebrew-word-that-will-change-the-way-you-see-womanhood/
I think serenity and calm are great! I just don't agree with exalting it more in women than in men. I really don't think women are intrinsically serene than men. It's a great trait in all people. Gendering calm does a disservice to both men and women.
I was originally looking for the article that you posted Shawn and couldn't find it, thanks for sharing. I agree that there is beautiful strength in serenity.
It also includes the thrill of landing a big sale, the confidence to lead a large group, the freedom of traveling alone, and strength to mentor younger women and men.
Great post as Mother's day approaches. My favorite line from that quote is "realistically striving to reach our individual purpose and unique God-given potential within such diversity. " Realistic and diverse. Two things I need to do better at remembering. And i actually loved your thoughts on the above quote better than the quote itself. Have a fabulous Mother's Day!
I am a long time blog reader from the other side of the country….your parenting skills were what drew me to your blog although my children are now adults…I am still parenting and still learning! i just ordered your mom's book because my second grandchild will be here in July and I am feeling more and more responsible for what I contribute to their lives in a meaningful way. Thanks for sharing that. Is your dad's book available on Amazon too?