I want to begin by saying that this post is a bit unique, I suppose, it may even come across a bit harsh which is not in keeping with the encouraging, uplifting atmosphere I desire to create here. However, I feel that what I am about to share is important and that it needs to be said. I have struggled with consistently posting in this space for years, which I recently discovered was rooted in fear, and that ends today.
Being a homemaker and making a home has been the most fulfilling role of my lifetime! It's all I ever aspired to be as a young girl, and I've been blessed to be a stay at home wife, mother and homemaker for most of my adult life, and so it's only natural that this is the topic you will likely discover is most discussed here. But before I embark on creating again in this space, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. This space has not and will never shame or judge other women who by choice or circumstance are not full time stay at home homemakers. My hope is that the ideas and resources I'll be sharing here will inspire women in every stage of life, from stay-at home moms, work-at-home moms, moms who work full time, to young single ladies who are dreaming of having a home to care for, this space is for everyone. That being said, I do want to caution, I suppose, that while I don't judge other women for making different choices, I do hold personal beliefs and opinions regarding the importance of mothers in the home and as such, that will be reflected in both my content and selection of links and resources going forward. I believe God has gifted me with a talent and with a message and I will no longer allow the enemy ground in this area of my life.
Some may consider my beliefs old fashioned, and I'm comfortable with that label. And while I do not support the patriarchal model of marriage that was popular among evangelicals in the early 2000's , I do believe that our current society reflects the consequences of generations of mothers leaving home to enter the workforce. Furthermore, I realize that in today's economy many women feel that they have no other choice. There have been times in my own life when I had to do the same and most of the women in my own family work outside the home, so I understand this personally. I whole heartedly support women finding creative ways to help financially support their husbands and families, and I do the same. I know many young women who are successfully balancing their role as wives and mothers while selling sourdough bread and baked goods, through their social media accounts, and affiliate marketing. In this day and age the possibilities are endless. But deep in my heart I hold to the belief that the constant presence of a mother in the home shapes the lives of families and children in a way that the benefits of a full-time job outside the home will never match, and that it may serve women well to consider if that might be desirable or possible for them. More than anything I want to do my part to remove the stigma surrounding homemakers and encourage women, especially young women who have made what they may consider an unpopular choice to remain at home, to take pride in their role as stay at home daughters, wives, mothers and grandmothers.
The choice to remain in the home, work at home or work outside the home is one that is personal and unique for each woman and we must all show grace in dealing with our fellow sisters. My advice to you if you should find yourself in this space and are not in agreement with the content is to extend that same grace. If you find a post rubs you the wrong way, come back another day and perhaps you will find something that does suit you. But if over time you discover that you are not in agreement with the majority of my content, then I would suggest that this space is not for you. But I want to make it perfectly clear. . . I will not alter my convictions or content to suit anyone. I have done that for far too many years now. This is my space. Being a stay-at-home wife and mother was and remains my choice. If yours is different, as I have said several times, I respect that, and in turn I do expect the same. In the past I have allowed bullying and shaming to alter my content which caused me to lose heart for sharing in this space, but no more. All comments here are censored, and while I am open to respectful debate, bullying and shaming will not be allowed here.
And so, with ALL that and on a much lighter note, beginning Monday, March 2 and every Monday going forward, I am going to begin a regular weekly series of posts that I have christened, Homemaking Monday!
While many of my posts fall under this category,
Homemaking Monday will focus more on inspiring and uplifting you in your calling. It will include poems and quotes reflecting upon the home, links to articles and resources that inspire, and I will be reading one book related to homemaking each month and sharing it here with you. I'm not quite ready to call it a "Book Club" yet, but . . . . if you would like to join me I'll be posting the schedule for the rest of the year later this week which will give you plenty of time to get the books if you want to join along. If I see that enough people are interested then we might make it a bit more official.
I'm so excited for this series and looking forward to sharing from my now decades of experience as a wife, mother and homemaker! For today I'll leave you one of my favorite poems of home.
Home Indeed
Draw up a chair and light a light
And find a book to read.
The heavens are dark and wild the night
And home is home indeed.
The louder seems the winter's ire
Tonight, the brighter seems the fire,
For when the wintry storms begin
The more the comfort here within.
The wind is at the windowpane,
The wind is at the door.
It shakes the house and shakes in vain,
For loud the chimney's roar.
And higher leaps the crimson blaze
In winter than in summer days.
The more the weather is unkind,
A greater joy within we find.
The fields in springtime call us forth,
Their rosy paths to roam,
But when the wind is in the north,
We pluck the rose at home.
Perhaps God sends the wintry hours
To show that there are other flowers,
For when a roof and fire you need,
Ah, then a home is home indeed.
- DOUGLAS MALLOCH
❊
