Liberation

Liberate: to set free, as from oppression, confinement or foreign control.


Someone said something interesting to me the other day. It didn't strike me as interesting until I really thought about it later. I was standing and talking to one of the moms at school and telling them how happy I was able to come to Summer's school to volunteer because I am not working full time. I spent years agonizing over what days to take off to be with her and quite a few times I really wanted to, but just couldn't due to my teaching obligations. When I look back I did what I had to do. Anyway, she said "isn't that liberating?" I said "Yes, yes it is!" After I got home I thought about our conversation and the specific word she used "liberating". After thinking it over it struck me as an odd word choice because usually when a woman has the choice to work (like all women do in our country) that is considered liberating. Women in this country were liberated from a man's choice for us NOT to work. Women's liberation was a term first used in the 60s for women who were oppressed by society- oppressed by sexual abuse, domestic violence, equal pay, voting rights etc. I think that women were looking at their lives as stay at home moms and wondering if there was something more. Today I feel that it has gone to the extreme with women NOT having the choice to stay home even if they want to in order to support the family and/or lifestyle they are accustomed to. Could I have stayed home? Possibly, if we lived in a smaller home, didn't drive a car, and didn't mind not having nice clothes, furniture, and not putting my kids in any activities. I wasn't ready for all that sacrifice and for a while I really did enjoy teaching. There was a time after I had Summer that I WANTED to go back. I was overwhelmed with a colicky baby and life of sitting at home with no one to talk to all day. I remember really wanting to go back, but really feeling so sad leaving her. Thank goodness I had a saint of a sister in law who could take care of her. By the time I had Adam I was stressed out with having to leave at 7:00am and not seeing my kids or house until 4:00pm. The ideal situation would have been to work part time, but that was not an option at that point. I am holding onto the time I have with Adam until fall when he will start Kindergarten but I am currently looking at a part time job to pay off some of these bills.

It is liberating to stay home! It is liberating to not have to run out of the house at 7:00am not to see my kids until 8 hours later! It is liberating to be able to choose what I want to do with my son that day. It is liberating to be able to take my dog for a walk in the middle of the day! What would those women of the sixties say to that??

BALANCE. As I have gotten older I feel that one word is soooo important especially for women. Balance with diet, exercise, giving, receiving, doing, taking, working, and loving. Sometimes I catch myself on either end of the spectrum: not doing enough, or doing too much. At that point I say OK why am I here? Why did God put me here? To be a good mom, wife, teacher, friend, person. If I am not taking care of my basic needs how can I possibly take care of others? If I am out of shape and not feeling good am I living this life God gave me the best to my ability? The good thing is we don't have to do it alone. God is there to lift us up, keep us going, and wash our past sins away. I LOVE second chances. and third and fourth and fifth and .....