A Repost / Women Grinding Wheat Together
Before I was out of bed, my mind was racing with thoughts of an post from last year. It was as if God spoke to me this morning, in not such a small still voice, telling me to repost what I wrote in August of last year. O.K. let me state something here first before I go on. I am not one of those people that would say "God spoke to me" unless I felt super sure that was the feeling I had. Its not a passing comment sort of thing, or a casual statement. Lets just say I have probably said that no more than a dozen times in my 53 years. I may have felt it many many times but hearing that small still voice is so personal to me, not something for me to shout from the mountaintops. I am going to quit this part of the conversation here, before it starts to sound weird : ) Anyway, here is the post and I know for certain that there was a reason for posting it again.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Its late, very late for me to be up but sleep passed me by at some point in the evening so here I sit, writing and thinking or maybe I should reverse that. Rather, thinking and writing.I have been thinking a lot about women and friendships and our need to have other women to chat with, learn from and help us. I was thinking earlier that it was all about friendships, but I have changed my mind. Its more, much more.What really binds women together and forms ties that surpass the moodiness, the pettiness that sometimes comes with female friendships, is when women work together on the same task for a common goal. Like in the old days when women would sit together at the grindstone, taking turns, working for their own grain needs and for others. If you look at perhaps your mothers or grandmothers lives, you probably heard stories of when the women of the family got together to can green beans or paint the downstairs. Maybe the women in one family all belonged to the same church and would meet with other ladies to clean the church, prepare a church supper, cooking and cleaning side by side. Working for a common cause. Amish women meet to quilt together, and when attending the Mennonite church, all the ladies would meet together to have a sewing day, perhaps sister Lois' girls had outgrown all their dresses at the same time and she needed help catching up. All the ladies worked together and in one day had all the dresses for the girls made. All the while talking, sharing tips, and enjoying a meal. Working together .Today, we buy what we need, and not many ladies have a circle of friends and family around them to help butcher chickens or spring clean the home of a young mother with a new baby.It's working together that binds us beyond the gossipy girl stuff. Makes something stronger and better than just girl friends. It becomes more like family.There is a Christian community about 75 miles from us. We love visiting there. It is a community in the purest sense. They farm together, grow crops and harvest them together. They are skilled crafts people. I admire the way they work together yet still live in their own homes, separate but with a feeling of community that is like a century ago. Working together for a common cause. Everyone knows their neighbor. Not in a bad way, not a nosy way. Just in an old fashioned sort of good way. Able to help one another and work together shelling pecans or sheering sheep.Tonight I was thinking about how the neighbors to our south pull in their driveway from work, stay put until early morning when they both drive off in separate cars, heading separate directions and no one knows their names, or anything about them. I am not sure why I never knocked on their door when they moved in and introduced myself. I thought about it, but then felt a bit shy and gave up on it.Wouldn't it be nice if you could call up 5 ladies you know and invite them over to all crochet squares for an afghan for your grandmother or make a baby blanket for the lady down the street. Not just making a part and passing it on, but all working together, in the same room, at the same time. No one could say, " I made that" It would be a "we made" project. And all the time you worked together, you shared wisdom, stories and all the things women need to talk about. Maybe we need to start a movement of "Women Grinding Wheat Together" Stepping out of our comfort zone and actually finding a more comfortable place of reaching out. Meeting our needs while working together.If you are doing this, share your story. Inspire others on the benefits of women working together doing canning, gardening or quilting together.
Its late, very late for me to be up but sleep passed me by at some point in the evening so here I sit, writing and thinking or maybe I should reverse that. Rather, thinking and writing.I have been thinking a lot about women and friendships and our need to have other women to chat with, learn from and help us. I was thinking earlier that it was all about friendships, but I have changed my mind. Its more, much more.What really binds women together and forms ties that surpass the moodiness, the pettiness that sometimes comes with female friendships, is when women work together on the same task for a common goal. Like in the old days when women would sit together at the grindstone, taking turns, working for their own grain needs and for others. If you look at perhaps your mothers or grandmothers lives, you probably heard stories of when the women of the family got together to can green beans or paint the downstairs. Maybe the women in one family all belonged to the same church and would meet with other ladies to clean the church, prepare a church supper, cooking and cleaning side by side. Working for a common cause. Amish women meet to quilt together, and when attending the Mennonite church, all the ladies would meet together to have a sewing day, perhaps sister Lois' girls had outgrown all their dresses at the same time and she needed help catching up. All the ladies worked together and in one day had all the dresses for the girls made. All the while talking, sharing tips, and enjoying a meal. Working together .Today, we buy what we need, and not many ladies have a circle of friends and family around them to help butcher chickens or spring clean the home of a young mother with a new baby.It's working together that binds us beyond the gossipy girl stuff. Makes something stronger and better than just girl friends. It becomes more like family.There is a Christian community about 75 miles from us. We love visiting there. It is a community in the purest sense. They farm together, grow crops and harvest them together. They are skilled crafts people. I admire the way they work together yet still live in their own homes, separate but with a feeling of community that is like a century ago. Working together for a common cause. Everyone knows their neighbor. Not in a bad way, not a nosy way. Just in an old fashioned sort of good way. Able to help one another and work together shelling pecans or sheering sheep.Tonight I was thinking about how the neighbors to our south pull in their driveway from work, stay put until early morning when they both drive off in separate cars, heading separate directions and no one knows their names, or anything about them. I am not sure why I never knocked on their door when they moved in and introduced myself. I thought about it, but then felt a bit shy and gave up on it.Wouldn't it be nice if you could call up 5 ladies you know and invite them over to all crochet squares for an afghan for your grandmother or make a baby blanket for the lady down the street. Not just making a part and passing it on, but all working together, in the same room, at the same time. No one could say, " I made that" It would be a "we made" project. And all the time you worked together, you shared wisdom, stories and all the things women need to talk about. Maybe we need to start a movement of "Women Grinding Wheat Together" Stepping out of our comfort zone and actually finding a more comfortable place of reaching out. Meeting our needs while working together.If you are doing this, share your story. Inspire others on the benefits of women working together doing canning, gardening or quilting together.
I didn't have a photo for tonight, so used one I love that has been used before. Home made bread. Maybe I will have a bread making day at my house. Making bread together, laughing, and creating a bit of a feeling of community.
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