Beautiful Homemakers

Photo credit In January 2000 I was in such despair.  I was so longing to be a mother and didn’t believe it was going to happen.  I also knew I wanted to be at home with my baby, but I didn’t see how that could ever be possible.  I cried out to God, and though change was difficult, I took many those baby steps, clarified my deep desires, and wrote down my needs.   First I answered two questions, “If I could live the most joyous and fulfilling life I could imagine, what would it consist of?” and “If my life ended in year xx, what would I regret not having or doing?” I made a list of how to begin (and this time the list was used!) photo credit Two years later my life changed drastically.  I soon met my husband, and three years after that my son was finally born.  I also wrote in detail how I wanted my dream day to flow – and here I am many years later looking at my “perfect” daily schedule – and most of the way I planned it is how...

Edna Eicke, McCall's Jan 1962 Life can be exciting!  Choices abound!  We are taught that having as many choices as possible is the best thing for us, from cars to careers.  So many things are attractive and we are teased into sampling as many as possible.  My lists engulfed me.  I’d go through my day crossing things off, and adding things I already did, just to cross them off. My lists gave me the illusion that my life was full and overflowing.  But overflowing with what?  Grace, beauty, laughter, sunshine, children, healthy food, strength, energy, peace…. Or stress, anger, tears, feeling frantic, tripping over things, stomach aches, overdue bills, deadlines, feelings of failure, unfinished tasks, time slipping away….“What really matters?” was a question I never wrote down on my To Do list. I also accumulated choices:  Notebooks, boxes, and magazine racks crammed full of information from years’ worth of articles.  I was unwil...