Meditations

I am reading a tiny book called 'Mothers' Manual' given to me by a friend of my mother-in-law when I was in the hospital after I had Allison. She had lost a 5 year old son years before and sent me a book of prayer & meditation. I found it the other day while I was looking through the box of Ally's things.



(a few of the meditations in the back of the prayer book)



"Cheerfulness and self-control on my part...These may mean much to the emotional well-being and proper development of my child."



"My home...It is highly important that I endeavor to make it an attractive, cheerful place for my husband and my children."



"My husband's job of providing and managing family affairs may be vexing and worrisome. The home as an attractive place when he returns from work...My readiness to share his concerns...Words of encouragement--and of praise at times...The tenderness of understanding and wifely affection when he is worried or discouraged."



It would be easy to write some of these off,



"The attractiveness of my person--even inside the home...In the morning--before my husband leaves for work...a nourishing breakfast according to his preferences? My appearance in serving it...attractive? And cheerful? When my husband returns from work, an attractive, pleasant appearance on my part can mean much."



But for some reason I really became unsettled about all this. Because maybe I am more conservative/traditional than I thought. I can see a ring of truth to this. Perhaps it needs to be slightly modified for modern day...but I see it.



Maybe the shift in society from these traditional ideas (and certainly I wasn't raised this way--both parents worked and were exhausted when we were all together) has a lot to do with the dwindling family unit. I'm obviously not a sociologist. I don't spend much time thinking about it, aside from the Focus on the Family newsletters I occasionally get in my inbox.


But I'm starting to think maybe I have missed something. Something big.

Even as a stay-at-home mother I wasn't (am not) putting enough value on it within my own life.

I guess I've just never read a job description quite like this before.