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What is the common
lot of mankind? Isn’t it the home, the family? Isn’t this
the work all mankind has to do? For the father this means
providing the living, protecting his family, guiding them and
helping them through the difficulties of life. For a mother it
is her work in the home, feeding the family, clothing them,
understanding them and making a proper home for them.
The trouble with
many mothers and fathers is that they find their work
exceedingly humble. A man may find his work boring and far
below his level of intelligence. A woman my find her work
menial. Much of her work could be done by a high school girl.
Housework is especially humbling to a woman of high
intelligence and training.
A study of the
great men and women of history reveals that the humble life
always accompanies greatness. Ruth, the gleaner in the Bible
gathered sheaves of grain “after the reapers.” She
gleaned what the reapers had left behind. Jesus came from
Nazareth, the most humble of villages and was born in a stable.
Abraham Lincoln, one of our most revered presidents was born in
a log cabin and chopped wood in his youth. And if the humble
life is not forced on them great men and women invite it. This
was true of Mahatma Gandhi, who rejected wealth and comforts to
live a humble existence among the poorest of the poor. Leo
Tolstoi, a famous Russian author did the same. Mother Teressa
filled her worldwide mission in only three dresses, one for
wearing, one for the laundry and one for mending. Other than
that she owned a satchel, a note pad and her Bible. All of
these greats felt that the humble life encouraged the growth of
the soul.
Another problem
with mothers and fathers is that in the middle of family life
they tend to become weary of the daily grind of raising a
family and look for escape routes. They begin to say, “Hey,
what about me? I’m a person of great value. I am just wasting
away in these four walls. l’m in a rut. I want to be part of
the wheels of life. They become restless and begin to seek
outside interests and gradually their devotion to their family
lessens, then becomes neglected.
Men and women can,
of course, become more than mothers and fathers. If we have the
capacity we can do many things, even along with family life.
And we may become better persons because of it. But, if we play
a double role, we must be willing to give a double portion of
ourselves. We may have to arise earlier, strive harder, give
more if we are to succeed in both worlds. We may have to make
personal sacrifices and forgo many of the pleasures of life.
And if we are to succeed in the ultimate, we must keep our
family in top priority. The outside interests must adapt to the
family, not the family to the outside interests.
One of the secrets of success in life in
anything we do is to carry on to the finish. We need
full strength to the finish of any challenging job. The athlete
gives his greatest push in the last half of the race, or the
game. When the musician becomes weary he must find a way to
revive himself to carry on. He may need a rest, a change or
added motivation but he does what is necessary to make him
carry on. Success in the family means the same - - to carry on
with full vigor to the end of the job, until the last child is
successfully raised. If we give our all, to the finish line,
this is part of doing well what is the common lot of all.
In addition to accepting the humble, the
menial and giving our all to the finish, parents need
knowledge. They need to know how to understand children
and how to train them successfully, especially how to train
them to be obedient. They need to know how to develop them to
be fine individuals. They need to know how to inspire them to
live a good life and give them courage and a zest for living.
When we think of all we must know and all we must do to succeed
in the family, there isn’t much time for women to have
careers outside the home. But when we give our all to our
family, our efforts will be self evident, not only in
our children but down to the third and fourth generation.
Discussions
I am having second thoughts about having
discussions as a part of this website. Instead of discussing
these teachings with each other on the Internet I would like to
encourage you to form little study groups in your own area,
even your own neighborhood. These could be held only once a
month and could go on continuously. There is such a great need
for these teachings everywhere. If you have received knowledge
from what you have learned in Fascinating Womanhood, you can
show your gratitude by sharing it with others. In this way you
will retain it in your own mind.
I have another
hesitancy about discussion groups. I understand from others
that they tend to become addicting. This leads to the habit of
spending too much time on the Internet, even neglecting
housework and meals because of it.
Giving Advice:
Because I must conserve my time and energy for
some other important things I am doing in Fascinating
Womanhood, I am going to have to eliminate giving advice on
this website or by email. Remember, the answers are in the
book. I don’t know anymore.
Authorized Teachers:
We will not be giving new teacher
authorizations for the present time. Instead we will
encourage study groups. If you already have a teacher
authorization, and it has not expired, you may continue to
teach Fascinating Womanhood until the authorization expires.
Then please contact the FW office.
My God be with
you and with all of us in living the ideals of Fascinating
Womanhood and in spreading its teachings to those in need.
-Helen Andelin
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