Hodge Podge Wednesday

Hello !

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1. March is National Women's History Month. In that vein,

who are three women who've been influential in your 

life? How so?

Definitely, my mother was a huge inspiration to me..

being the oldest of six daughters there were expected to work hard along side their dad... they lived on a large dairy farm in SW Virginia.. She was still in her single digits when the depression hit, and thankfully they got along well living off the land.. But she worked hard and learned how to manage on far less. She nearly died as a young woman.. Praise God a cure was found for her ailment and she survived, but it knocked her out of going to college.. She was the only of the six not to go.She married and moved to the west coast during WWII.She thrived on adventure and learned well the lessons of independence. She worked outside of the home until she had me in 1950. She and dad raised me very modestly... She made all of my clothes, was a marvelousw cook and decorated our  cottage with the white picket fence beautifully on a shoestring budget. She went back to work when I went to school but she still sat up late nights making my clothes all through my high school and into college.I believe she lived with a chip on her shoulder because she missed academia like her sisters and often times felt unaccomplished and second rate.... but everyone of them looked up to her with respect and love because of who she was...

Secondly, I thought of my second grade teacher...Mrs. Walters who was my motivation to become a teacher myself some day. Poor Mrs. Walters was probably 55 or more when I had her.. She was grey headed and walked with a limp from when she had had polio. She had to be tired as hard as she worked.. She was always dressed so sweetly in a pastel suit and white ruffled blouse, her hair all rolled back into some kind of bun, but her temperment was one of love, patience, and forebearance.. She made learning fun and enchanting really.. I never remember her raising her voice and she seemed to take everything in her stride... I marveled at her.. I did become a teacher but I cannot say I always exemplified all of her qualities.. Maybe it was because kids in her day knew if they got a note from the teacher there would be a trip to the forsythia bush after dinner.

Thirdly, my daughter Amanda inspires me..

We adopted her from Seoul when she was 15 weeks old.. such a sweetheart as a child, and always. She is a huge ball of talent. she could do anything she set to mind to...Our neighborhood had some great classes for girls to figure out what they wanted to do.. In the course off a couple of years she was a gymnast, a dancer, and a highsteppin majorette! But she then settled on violin and piano lessons.. which she took all through school.. Speaking of school she excelled in every area. And soon decided she wanted to be a dentist and take her skill to the mission field. She accepted Christ on the Thursday of Bible School one year... it was such a wonderful moment in our life together to hear her tell us of her decision. She loved swimming, played softball, volleyball, tennis, and was on the high school soccer team. She sang in a College Children's Choir and performed at Carnegie Hall and at the Lighting of the Christmas tree at the White House. It seemed nothing was out of her reach. In college she took the classes that would propel her to dental school and reached for opportunites to research at the vet school to have as much lab experience an undergrad to attain.

She had a storybook romance with the only boy she ever dated... a young man she had trained in violin along side and had secretly admired for some time.. They attended the same college and married while doing post grad work at university.. 

They each worked under research stipends and made ample salaries playing their violins at college events. They played in the college symphony and Joshua played in a prestigious quintet on campus. After 7 years of university they both graduated debt free! They each got fabulous employment in Massachusetts.. Amanda in cancer research in Cambridge and Joshua in the top of his field in techonolgy. Amanda decided her love for Joshua supplanted her previous desire for dentistry and it is just as well, because now that she has two precious daughters she just wants to stay at home for a while, anyway!

So there you have a glimpse at my stellar daughter who not only excelled at eveything she attempted... she also has the   sweetest spirit this side of heaven and  uses her God given gifts to mentor and lead other women to Christ by her walk and leadership!

2. In what ways do you think women have it easier than men?

I agree with our hostess in that there are definitely many things in which men are more suitable to take the lead... like anything pertaining to reptiles, insects, spiders,bumps in the night, water leaks, electrical, and construction issues.

But women do appear to be more intuitive and there in lies her strength.. She helps in making major decisions, and maintains a more level headedness in times of crisis.

3. What do you need most right now: faith, love, hope, or peace?

As I think on this question I cannot separate these but I lump them altogether in trusting God through our relationship with Christ.. For in trusting Him we have all these wonderful attribtes    in one! And I need them every hour!!

4. Do you have a collection? If so, what do you collect and why?

I am an anglophile.. I love everything British, Scottish or irish, because  I love genealogy , and I  love anything that  brings to mind  and British time of yore.

I collect English China especially transfer ware.. I have the red, blue, black and a bit of green..

5. Plaids, checks, polka dots, stripes...your favorite?

I am going to go with plaid, because I love my Scottish heritage and I do use it a lot in my decor!

6. In what ways are you the same as your childhood self?

I love my childhood self... even as quiet and sensitive as I was... I learned to love being by myself and the dreaminess of my imagination. I could fly in my dreams and I often went  to that weightless state of mind.. I many times will close my eyes and travel back to a late summer's afternoon perhaps after a rain, when I would lie on the porch glider and muse on the ability to fly with the fairies... I can still smell the rain in my mind's eye and see the afternoon glow of the setting sun.. I love those memories and still cling to them..

7. You're a contestant on the TV game show Jeopardy. What category will you ace?

I would do well in American History, earth science, geology, and English lit.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Well, as I look back over the last couple of months I can count on maybe 2 hands the number of days I havent had something physically ailing me...praise God nothing serious, but just the doldrums of allergies, sinuses, and now this horrid cold which has sent into the 99-100.4 temps continually for the last 4 days... I am literally sick of it!