Real Heroes

Well, Green Bay beat the Steelers...which was a disappointment for those of us in Pittsburgh who root for their home team. Living in a Championship City makes one painfully aware of 'sports obsession,' which, here in Pittsburgh, is a major thing. Lately, with all the "Stairway to Seven" hoopla (as in a seventh Super Bowl win), it has made me think about heroes. Pittsburgh fans are LOUD! They cheer their teams on with unbridled enthusiasm. They don jerseys of their favorite players...their heroes.

At church yesterday, I stood out in the sea of black and gold. I was wearing a jean skirt, brown sweater and brown tights. Now I knew better than to wear green, but I just don't do the Steeler garb. Oversized jerseys are not the most flattering look on me. Not that I didn't enjoy the game or do my share of shouting at the television; I just didn't dress the part.

Heroes. Is it wrong to elevate overpaid athletes, or movie stars for that matter? Maybe not, but today I want to sing the praises of the most underappreciated, and underpaid, people I know. Stay-at-home moms. Like my two daughters, Bethany and Jessica, who have chosen to forego careers to stay at home with their children. They are my heroes.

Back in the early '80s, I performed in the show Working, based on the book Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do by Studs Terkel. In the book, Terkel interviews people about their jobs. Some of the interviews were turned into a musical showcasing a wide variety of careers. One of the songs has remained in my mind for nearly three decades. It is called "Just a Housewife" with lyrics by Craig Carnelia. I'm going to post the words of the song here, because I think they so brilliantly reflect what a housewife/SAHM experiences. This was a song, that when I sang it in the show, resonated within my soul.

All I am is just a housewife
Nothing special, nothing great
What I do is kinda boring
If you'd rather, it can wait

All I am is someone's mother
All I am is someone's wife
All of which seems unimportant
All it is is
Just my life

Do the laundry, wash the dishes
Take the dog out, clean the house
Shop for groceries, look for specials
God it sounds so, Mickey Mouse

Drop the kids off, pick the shirts up
Try to lose weight, try again
Keep the troops fed, pick their things up
Lose your patience, count to ten

(2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9..10

4..5..6..7..8..9..)

All I am is just a housewife
Just a housewife, nothing great
What I do is "out of fashion"
What I feel is out of date

All I am is someone's mother
Right away I'm not too bright
What I do is unfulfulling
So the T.V. talk-shows tell me every night

I don't mean to complain at all
but they make you feel like you're two feet tall
when you're just a wife

(Just a housewife)

All the magazines
make a bunch of beans
out of family life

(My life)

You're a "whiz" if you go to work
but you're just a jerk if you say you won't

(Just a housewife)

People say that they think it's fine
if the choice is mine
but you know they don't

What I do, what I choose to do
may be dumb to you
but it's not to me

Is it dumb that they need me there?
Is it dumb to care?
Cause I do, you see

And I mean, did ya ever think,
really stop and think
what a job it was --

Doing all the things
that a housewife does?

I'm afraid it's unimpressive

(All I am is someone's mother
nothing special)

What I do is

(What I do is)

Unexciting

(Kinda dull)

Take the kids here,

Take the kids there

("Mommy...")

I don't mean to complain at all

(All I am is...

All I am is...)

Busy, busy...

Everyday

(All I am is...)

Like my mother...

(All I am is...)

Just a housewife


Don't you love the lines, "Is it dumb that they need me there? Is it dumb to care? Cause I do you see"??

Now, before all of you working moms jump all over me, I am not, in any way, putting you down! That is not what this is about. In the midst of all the football hoopla, I just want to give a shout out to stay-at-home-moms, because they don't have bosses or coworkers patting them on the back, giving them promotions, sending them flowers on Secretary's Day (or whatever the politically correct term is these days), giving them Christmas bonuses or any of the other things that go along with working outside of the home. What do they get? Oh yeah...snotty faced kisses and endless recitings of the alphabet. And you know what? Nothing can beat that for them.

But what they deserve is a stadium full of screaming fans waving Terrible Towels...or maybe some well-worn cloth diapers! They deserve media attention and society's devotion. Well guess what? I am a fan. A devoted, diehard fan. And in the Super Bowl of life, you ladies are all winners!

And that's what I wanted to share with you today because it has been on my mind a lot lately.

Yes, I know it's Monday and I usually write about my Sabbath Experiment on Mondays. But I really didn't have anything exciting to share about that. Although I do have a confession to make. Due to the blessing of an enormous workload last week, I did end up having to put a few hours in at the office yesterday. But, believe me, I fully intend on resuming my day of rest this coming weekend. I'll let you know how that goes next Monday!

Sharing my heart,

Hana

The Sabbath Experiment -- week 16

Happy Monday.

I'm getting a late start on this today. An extra hour or two in bed, laundry, breakfast and work took precedence over my blog post today. Plus, I'm a little grumpy. You see, after four months I just got my period again. Maybe that's too much info to share, but I guess I'm in a sharing mood. Or a griping one. My friend, Dawn, texted me this morning and said, "Look at the bright side...at least you're not pregnant." Ha ha. I'm thinking it is just all this Diva Cup talk. It backfired on me, who honestly thought I was four months into the necessary twelve months sans menstruating to officially say I was done! I know some women who actually grieve the loss of this part of their lives. Not me! I cannot wait to bid it adeiu.

What I was not anxious to bid adeiu to was the Sabbath. I actually considered carrying it through to another day, but decided that wouldn't exactly be about being spiritual, it would just be about being lazy. So, I'm planted securely at my desk and will be spending the day with my laptop.

That's not to take away from what a lovely Sabbath it was, starting off with a Sunday School lesson I presented to the adult class. We have been working our way through I Peter and, since they were so packed with spiritual truth, I limited yesterday's lesson to only two verses:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

I Peter 5:6-7

What a great passage. There are many things to say about humility and about being humble. But how often do we look at it this way -- that giving all our cares, our fears, our worries and our anxiety to God is necessary for true humility? Seriously? But we like to hold on to these things. Worry defines some of us. When I've taught in the past, I've had people say to me, "I can't help but to worry. That's the way I am." Well guess what, that is not the way you were created! Worrying is a habit we nurture. It does not come naturally and we do not have to allow it into our lives. Worrying is a choice...and, according to I Peter, it is an arrogant one.

I love this story I came across on Saturday when I was studying for my lesson. C.H. Spurgeon shares, "I heard of a man who was walking along the high road with a pack on his back. He was growing weary and was therefore glad when a gentleman came along in a carriage and asked him to take a seat with him. The gentleman noticed that he kept his pack strapped to his shoulders, and so he said, 'Why do you not put your pack down?'

'Why, sir,' said the traveler, 'I did not venture to impose. It was very kind of you to take me up, and I could not expect you to carry my pack as well.'

'Why,' said his friend, 'do you not see that whether your pack is on your back or off your back, I have to carry it?'"

How much does this story apply to all of us? We cling to our pack filled with anxiety and ask the Lord to carry us, without releasing the pack. Silly, silly us.

After Sunday School, I appreciated a worship service dedicated to the Sanctity of Human Life. We worshipped the Creator in song and focused on the lives of both the unborn and the born. We talked about the work of the Women's Choice Network, a non-profit organization that I was privileged to be a part of as a member of the Board for nearly five years. I was proud to be associated with the them (and not in the prideful, non-humble way) because their focus is not only on the preborn babies, but it is also on the emotional, physical, spiritual and mental well-being of the women and men involved, regardless of the choice that's made. While the Centers do not do abortions or refer for abortions, they do offer hope and healing to those who have been wounded by an abortion. WCN is comprised of staff and volunteers who truly understand and offer grace to everyone who walks through their doors.

After church, we went out for lunch and then headed home for a nap before going to our daughter's to watch the Steeler game. And what a game it was! So, all in all, it was a wonderful Sabbath day, topped off with the song, "Pittsburgh's going to the Super Bowl!"

What a way to start a week!

Keeping it restful and focused on the Sabbath,

Hana