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Normal vs Noble

This may sound strange, coming from a 57-year-old woman.  There you have it, I’ve admitted my age!

I married very young in life.  I was married for a total of seventeen years, in my first marriage.  It was not a good situation from the beginning.  All you probably need to know is that I learned to spell Co-dependency in big capital letters.  There was alcohol and physical abuse involved.  So, considering the abnormal and abusive situation, I found little joy in being a housewife and spent many of my days in survival mode for myself and my children.

But, by His Grace, God gave me a second chance in life.  I have been married to my wonderful Hubby, Ed, for almost twenty-three years.  Those early years were tough.  Being a step-family can be very difficult sometimes.  I won’t go into great detail about this now.  I plan to get into the subject, on my blog, in 2012.  Ed and I began teaching and leading workshops on “Building A Successful Step-Family” soon after we were married, and feel that what we learned along the way will always be needful.

Because Ed and I began our marriage with children from previous relationships, and were compelled (by God, who has always been the center of our home) to work very hard at stepping through the step-family dynamics. I had little time to stop and enjoy being a normal housewife.  Also, up until January 3, 2012, one or both of us have been working in our businesses.  Twelve years ago, we owned and operated our local funeral home, a small independent insurance agency and owned rental storage units in two towns.  Slowly, we have sold our businesses, so that we could retire together.

Whose to say, what normal is?  Merriam-Webster online dictionary says normal is: conforming to a type, standard or regular pattern.  Do I pattern the life of a housewife after my girl friends, or perhaps my mother?

What I think I am learning, after fifty-seven years, is that I am not an acrobat ~ I am a creature transformed, floating sometimes gracefully and sometimes not so gracefully through The Presence Of God In my Life ~ Learning to reflect The Fruits of Simplicity, which are Freedom, Joy, Peace, Honesty and Balance!  You will see the fruits of simplicity mentioned a lot by me this year, as this is a huge part of my life in this season.

I have learned that the life of a Daughter of The King is all about relationship ~  relationship with God, my Husband, my family, my Church family and friends and so on…down the line. Housewife normal is not about the daily chores I do.  Housewife normal is about my relationship to those in my household.  What I do in my home will be a reflection of my relationships, and the value I place upon them.

As in Proverbs 31 ~ The Wife Of Noble Character: I will strive not to accomplish my to-do list everyday ~ but to reflect the nobility of my relationship with my husband (which possesses outstanding qualities), and seize every opportunity I have to use my talents, gifts and the wisdom I glean from my relationship with God to make my house a home.

I am not limited.  God has given me a wonderful gift at age fifty-seven.  I think that normal is not the word for me.  I think that to be a Noble Housewife is what I will strive for, within God’s gift for me.  And, I’m going to cherish and have a great time as I anticipate the future.

This, Truly, IS My First Time, To Be A (normal) Noble Housewife