Ollie turns 5!!!

We had our traditional birthday pool party for Oliver last Saturday.  Since Leslie and Lily (my nieces) also had birthdays this month that we had not yet had a chance to celebrate, we did a combined birthday party for the three of them.  We had his best friend/cousin Liam spend the night before and they just played and played until bedtime and got up and played and played some more.

The water was COLD and it was only around 80 or so outside.  The kids braved the water more than the Blythonian parents. 

This post will just pretty much be pictures.  Deal with it. (Don’t tell Colin I used that phrase – it was banned from our house about a week into summer).

Now tell me all those pictures didn’t make you smile! 

The next day was actually his birthday and, fun fun fun STAKE CONFERENCE (when you get to go to church and sit in hard chairs for two hours with no Primary!). 

Ollie got his big present from us after church, along with his present from his brothers.  Chad put the bike together during quiet time and he rode it all around the downstairs for about an hour, telling me over and over again how much he loved it.

I love it when they all have a chance to show their love to each other, and Ollie really eats it up.  At one point I saw Gabe give Ollie a hug out of the blue.  Ollie beamed and walked over to me and said, “Mom. Gabe just gave me a HUG! First time ever!” with a big double thumbs up. 

I let him choose what we had for our back to school feast, which I will post about next.

First birthday here and here, Second here and here (that video kills me), Third, Fourth.  I think I am going to cry.

Open House

School Shopping

On Friday we did Ollie’s special back-to-school shopping trip.  Just like with Colin and Gabe before him, we had a celebratory breakfast out and the incoming kindergartner got to choose where we went.  The very excited almost-five-year-old chose McDonald’s and got the McGriddle for the very first time.  I took the egg off because he has never in his life liked eggs, put it on Colin’s Egg McMuffin for double egg goodness, and then Ollie ate about half of his McGriddle and decided he didn’t like it.  Tried some of Colin’s sandwich, wanted to trade, then took two more bites of Colin’s and said he didn’t like it.  So he then filled up the rest of the way on hash browns which are his faaaavorite breakfast food anyway (and vegan! greasy gross vegan, but vegan nevertheless).

 

After moans of fullness from all three boys and a ketchup mess from Carina, we headed over to Target to pick out a backpack and lunchbox.  Oliver was in just about the best mood possible and liked about ten backpacks.  As soon as he tried this monster one on, it was over.  It just fit him perfectly.  I got lots and hugs and smiles from my precious boy.

While he was making this vital decision, Carina managed to sneak the following into the cart: a purple lunchbag, a Minnie Mouse lunchbag, and a Minnie and Daisy notebook.  She was furious when I put them back.

I decided not to do all the supply shopping with the kids this year (because I am lazier? or wiser? hmmmm).  We bought lunchboxes and then went to a couple more stores for shoes.  By the time we were done, we were done, so I am glad we didn’t do the rest.  I will have to jet out some evening before school starts and do it (blissfully) alone.

This week…

Was not the best.

  It started off when our adoption agency posted updated pictures of all the kids on their (secret) Facebook page.  I happened to be on Facebook when the pictures started showing up so I was, of course, glued to it for the duration.  Beautiful face after beautiful face showed up, and I refreshed and clicked and waited.  A couple of hours later and the director announced that they were done and to let her know if anyone was missed.  That would be us. (They will be going back their foster home and getting the pictures but roads are awful there and things are busy so I don’t know when that will be).  I was so sad and a little grumpy.  We are in the waiting and waiting part of the process and our timeline is just stretching out further and further.  Deep down I feel calm and okay, but sometimes I just get so sad.  Thinking about two girls across the world from us that may someday be our daughters and wanting to be with them.  I have really been okay most of the time, but some weeks are hard waiting weeks.

This week…

Carina and Ollie slept kinda poorly, which meant I did too.

This week….

I went back to the gym after almost a month of being absent thanks to being out of town.

This week…..

My mom had a couple of bad days when my Dad needed to work.  She could use cheering up probably each and every day if anyone wants to send little packages or pictures or cards or Facebook messages.

This week….

I did get to hang out with some friends who are fun and lovely for a couple of hours.

This week…

Ended on a good note with a family Sam’s Club trip, swimming and a little last-minute date with Chad.

Little sister

Back in the Disney era of “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast,”  I was obsessed with their soundtracks.  I would ask for the cassette recording for Christmas and play it over and over, with nearly everyone in the family memorizing the songs along with me (Under the sea, Under the SEA!).  Each movie was a big deal, right?  You remember?

And Aladdin was the next and brightest star.  Sitting around our twinkling tree on Christmas Eve, with the missionaries joining us, we each opened one present, youngest to eldest.  Right before it was my turn, my sister Ashley opened her gift and there it was – a cassette.  THE cassette.  The Aladdin soundtrack.

I don’t remember what I said, but there were screams, stomping of feet, and a snotty eleven-year old face.  I ran to my room (or was commanded to my room? that is probably likely), hot with anger and embarrassment all at the same time.  And when my gulping sobs subsided, my little sister was next to me, handing me the cassette and telling me I could have it.  I felt so much shame, but even more love.

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Last summer I took Carina with me to California to attend my grandmother’s memorial.  It was a hustle to get there , and I didn’t really allow myself any grieving time before we got there.  I was too busy with decisions and packing.

The day of the memorial was rushed and stressful.  Eight of us Jeppsons were staying in a hotel an hour or so from the memorial and we had various tasks to complete on our way there. We started running behind and never caught up.  As we drove through the LA traffic that never ever stopped (seriously – traffic in the middle of the day?!), it suddenly completely stopped.  Completely. Every car on the freeway, not moving, with dead open space ahead as police motorcycles blocked the flow of traffic.  My mind spun through our options of somehow getting through the impossible mess.

I flew here all the way from North Carolina, and I am going to miss my grandma’s memorial. 

Just as suddenly, the motorcycles moved and so did we.

We made it on time and found seats.  I could finally breathe and feel and reflect.  All the grandchildren filed to the front of the room, and we sang,

I am a Child of God

and tears stung my eyes by the time we finished.

And then directly after that, ten minutes into the memorial, Carina started her infamous shrieks.  I did my best sacrament-meeting-style scoot out of the room with her and stood at the back to listen.  She continued to shriek, so we left the room altogether, standing by the door where I could hear.  More shrieks, until we were far down the hall next to the parked motorized scooters.  Here, Carina said nothing, and I heard nothing.

I didn’t hear a word of my Grandma’s eulogy.

I left the memorial with a heart full of grief never released. And anger. Anger that wrapped me up tight. I sat dully at the luncheon  among my relatives that I hadn’t seen in person for years and couldn’t get any words out without Carina fussing at me…. and I just couldn’t care about anyone or anything right then but that anger.

Then my sister Ashley walked up with Claire, Carina’s quiet cousin twin, and offered to take them both to the playground for a few minutes.

In her own time of grief, she had noticed.

I felt 11 again.

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I visited my sister in her home last week, for the very first time. 

You know how you read those books or blog posts about cleaning and they tell you that everything should have a place?  Everything.  And then you feel like GREAT, yeah, sure.  Someday. Well, I slept in Ashley’s room and opened her pantry and her hall closet.  And that is her home. Organized, efficient, deliberate. All those somedays in my little head, right there, manfiested in my little sister’s house.

And though I swear I am an independent and capable person when I am at home, when I was at Ashley’s I kept finding myself being taken care of.  Plans made for me about where and when to get my oil changed.  Diapers changed before I had a chance to grab my wipes.  Homemade vegan muffins made before I even arrived. Midnight in Austenland sitting on the nightstand next to my (Ashley’s) bed.

All making me feel like I was the little sister,

but only in a good way.

It’s a gift.

Spokane Traditions -Dishman Hills

 

My father-in-law Bill is a little bit of a rebel.  A rebel for the sake of his doggy sons, Harley and Max.  He likes to wake up extra early in the morning so that he can get to his favorite hiking trails in Dishman Hills and let his dogs roam off- lease, before all the other dogs are there to distract the “boys”, and before all the other doggy parents are there to catch him. This particular morning, we got a bit of a late start, so to still circumvent the crowds we hiked up the steep back end of the trail.  The kids (and I) all loved the grand adventure.  Chad wore flip flops.  I wore Carina in the sling (that is my view of her down below, showing off a flower that Grandma picked for her).  I loved getting my heart pumping early in the morning.  Hiking in the west is the hiking I grew up – lots of uphill, blue skies, dry air, beautiful vistas.  AHHHHHHHH.

Spokane Traditions -Strawberry Picking

We tried a new U-Pick farm this year – Siemer’s Farm.  They had a nice little tractor ride over to the field. 

Chad’s brother Mike and his wife Lesli were in town with their cuties Ethan and Emi.  I was so happy we got to spend some time with them – they are always up for fun and so good at keeping all the kids entertained. 

Ollie was a real sweetie and good at picking.

At one point Carina wondered off and we kinda forgot to keep track of her until we all looked up and saw her a good 100 feet away and bounding back to us with a big smile on her face.  As soon as we noticed her she turned around and headed away again.  She was a happy happy girl there, but not too respectful of the neat rows.

Our niece Hailey helped take care of her after that.  I think Hailey might not trust our parenting skills (justified?)  I love 12 year old nieces, I am telling you.

Gabe was our serious serious picker.  He couldn’t stop.  I know just how he feels.  As we were leaving the field we both kept stopping to pick one last perfect strawberry.

Did I mention it was in the high 70’s and just perfect?

We didn’t make our traditional pies this year, because we were still adhering to our dietary ideals at this point (it was only our first full day there), but we did chow down on the fresh strawberries and I made a delicious strawberry and avocado salad with poppyseed dressing. 

Father’s Day 2013

Father’s Day was low-key.  On Saturday we gave Chad a movie bucket, complete with 4 lbs of Red Vines, two packs of Junior Mints and a movie gift card.  Chad has traditionally taken the boys out for a movie on the day before Father’s Day, but this year he wanted to see Monster’s University with them and that doesn’t open until next weekend.  So I gave him the gift card and had a date set up for the two of us to go see Man of Steel and he can go next weekend with the boys to see their movie.  Which I hope is better than Man of Steel was, because I was dyyyyyyying by the end of that movie.  Every time I write Steel I want to write an “e” on the end.  Know what I mean, Charlotte peeps?

We went out for dinner that night for some chips and veggie fajitas.

The next day Chad was gone for meetings before any of us woke up.  I left some orange juice in the fridge for  him, so don’t feel too bad for him.  Sooooo spoiled.

After his afternoon nap, the boys had clues that led him a little hunt that ended up outside where he was greeted by this….

Good thing Chad already had his swimsuit on, huh?

Colin has officially entered that stage where he is too cool for pictures.  AWE-SOME!

After that Chad read off the answers to the surveys the kids filled out about him.  Ollie said Chad would like to go camping for his dream vacation (HA!) and Carina said he would like to go to the playground.

We love that guy and I hope he had a good weekend.

A good weekend

This was the first weekend since March that we haven’t had multiple activities going on.  We love the soccer games, baseball games, recitals, photo shoots and church obligations, but it was such a relief to just have some free time as a family.  Add in that we sent our Dossier (all of our paper work that will be submitted to the court in the DR Congo for our adoption) off this week, and we just felt so relaxed compared to how we have felt lately.  On Saturday we got up and went to Carowinds right when it opened.  Having season passes is great because we can just go in the morning and come home as soon as it gets crowded enough that we have to wait in lines.  I am not a huge rollercoaster person, but Gabe is, so I put on my mom hat and rode a loopy-loop one that ended up being a little much for even him.  It was such a fun morning, with no whining or fights and we were home in time for naps.

 

We did the same thing today – got there right when it opened and none of the rides had lines.  After a couple of hours we headed over the waterpark and still made it home in time for a two hour nap for me and Carina.  She has been waking up at 5 am every day for a week now so I have been so sleepy!  Strangely enough, it doesn’t seem to be affecting her at all.  She has been just a cheerful and still falls asleep at the same time every night.

Anyway, after the naps we headed over to a park for a church barbeque.  It was great – tons of people there, great weather, lots for the kids to do.  A perfect end to a great weekend.

Beginner’s Day–My baby is going to kindergarten

Oliver had his “Beginner’s Day” not long ago.  It was a chance for all the little boys and girls (who are way too young to be leaving their mommies all day)  to visit the school and learn a few things about what to expect.  Here is a picture of Ollie waking up his cousin Liam, who will be going to kindergarten with him. Liam fell asleep on the way there.  See what I mean?  They are babies, I am telling you!  Babies!

I thought Ollie had a lot of confidence while we were there, and was so excited to be there, but looking at the pictures, I can see the nervousness in his face.

Carina had some fans there. 

The two Chinese teachers were just THRILLED to see our two families there together and to see little Ollie and Liam.  Our  four older boys are “legends” with the Chinese teachers (their words, I swear), so they have been pretty tickled at the idea of the two cousins coming in together.  Come to think of it, that is a lot of pressure, but I think they will live up to it!

 

After the school, we all went to Panda Express, to continue our tradition.  Tragedy ensued when Ollie (with his accomplice the dinosaur) accidently pushed a tray holding 1/3 of our family’s food off the table onto the floor.  I may or may not have lost it a little.

Poor little Ollie.  It wasn’t a very fun dinner.

I thought his fortune was perfect for starting school.

The evening got better when he caught a toad at home.  That kid loves animals.

Gabe’s Beginner’s Day here.  Colin’s here.

To the Virtuous Women I Know, Part 3

In this last general conference Elder Uctodorf said,

Lift up your soul in prayer and explain to your Heavenly Father what you are feeling. Acknowledge your shortcomings. Pour out your heart and express your gratitude. Let Him know of the trials you are facing. Plead with Him in Christ’s name for strength and support. Ask that your ears may be opened, that you may hear His voice. Ask that your eyes may be opened, that you may see His light.

Your Heavenly Father knows that you will make mistakes. He knows that you will stumble—perhaps many times. This saddens Him, but He loves you. He does not wish to break your spirit. On the contrary, He desires that you rise up and become the person you were designed to be.

I strongly believe that we need to embrace our titles of virtuous women, even in our imperfection. It isn’t a brag or boast. It is an acknowledgement of whose side we are on, whose promptings we are striving to follow. It is an acknowledgment that we are trying to do Heavenly Father’s work and that we know as Sister Dalton said, whose we are. We are Heavenly Father’s daughters. Through our virtue, we will have strength and power to His marvelous work on earth.

One last quote I would like to leave with you that gives me great encouragement when I see my shortcomings staring me in the face. In this last general conference, Elder Scott said,

I have learned a truth that has been repeated so frequently in my life that I have come to know it as an absolute law. It defines the way obedience and service relate to the power of God. When we obey the commandments of the Lord and serve His children unselfishly, the natural consequence is power from God—power to do more than we can do by ourselves. Our insights, our talents, our abilities are expanded because we receive strength and power from the Lord.

I bear testimony to you that I know this is true. In the past few years, as I have tried more earnestly, to consistently obey God’s commandments, He has whispered to me more and more often about work that he wants me to do for Him. Each time I try to do that work, I can see more clearly who I am, and how important the people are that I am trying to serve. Every once in awhile, I will receive a little thought in my head about work that He wants me to do that seems too hard, too grand, too much for me to do. It is easy to let those promptings pass on by…sometimes thinking “Who I am I to do that” or even just pretending like it was just a passing thought that I should let float on. But when I embrace that inspiration, trusting that though I am so imperfect, so weak…I see that if I am willing to serve the Lord, that is what matters. I want you to know that our Heavenly Father has very specific work for each of us to do, and it is significant and of eternal importance.

To the Virtuous Women I Know–Part 2

This is part two of a talk I gave on Mother’s Day and wanted to share with you.  Part I is here if you missed it.

In that same talk by Sister Dalton, she said that virtue is the strength and power of daughters of God and then she defined virtue as, “a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards.”

I think that this definition is key to understanding our feelings of never being good enough and understanding where those feelings come from and how dangerous they can be. One word that Sister Dalton used is so important. She said a “pattern” of thought or behavior. A pattern means that something is repeated, time and again, consistently, predictably.

I think that Satan will do anything to disrupt that pattern, breaking down virtue and thus breaking down the power and strength that we as women possess.

I think one of his most effective ways of breaking that pattern is through those feelings of hopelessness and despair. Satan may even disguise those feelings as something good. We may think that of course we should feel guilty, because we aren’t perfect, and think that by berating ourselves for our shortcomings, we are trying to be better people…so those feelings are good, right?

But feeling that kind of guilt is often paralyzing. It is so easy to become overwhelmed by everything that we need to do that we become paralyzed and do nothing at all or stop what we are already doing. It is so easy to feel like what we are doing doesn’t matter, so why bother anyway? So maybe we give up here or there, or skip this or that. Our pattern of thought and behavior is then interrupted, stalled, broken. Our virtue, our strength and power, is then broken. Satan has accomplished what he set out to do.

In speaking of that kind of guilt at General Conference in 2006 (another great talk you should check out), Anthony D Perkins said,

“God the Father is merciful and has infinite love for you despite your faults. Only the voice of Satan will cause you to feel of no value. In contrast, the Holy Ghost will cause you to feel “godly sorrow” ¹⁰ unto repentance in a manner that fills you with hope of positive change.

When you feel worthless, “remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” ¹¹ Refrain from repeatedly thinking or saying negative words about yourself—there is a clear difference between humility and humiliation. Identify and use your unique talents rather than dwelling on your weaknesses.”

This can help us in identifying where our feelings are coming from. Feelings from Heavenly Father fill us hope of positive change. Feelings from Satan cause us to despair, to quit, to stall, to freeze.

Paying attention to our thoughts and identifying whether they are from the Spirit or from the adversary can make a huge difference in our behavior and in the patterns we embrace. What does that look like in real life? I would like to just give a few examples.

You and your husband are gathering your kids for family prayer. The oldest (who should be the example) is rolling their eyes. The youngest is running in circles. The other two are hitting each other. Okay, this may be a direct example from my own life….The thoughts that go through your head are, “My children are never ever going to understand the power of prayer. There is no Spirit here and I have failed failed failed in one of the most important lessons I can teach them.” These thoughts are certainly understandable and may even seem accurate. But are they from God?

I am so grateful we have apostles from God to give us answers to negative thoughts like this one. Elder Bednar gave a talk in general conference and talked about the same struggle he and he wife had with their sons – prayers when they were poking each other and giggling and complaining about their brothers “breathing their air.” He said that years later he could see that  “our consistency in doing seemingly small things can lead to significant spiritual results. “ and he quoted the scripture “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33).

The negative thought would lead you to believe that the hard work of gathering your family for prayer isn’t worth it, the thought that combats it is that you are doing small and simple things that will lead to something great in the future – in other words, it will encourage you to keep a pattern of virtue.

Another situation:

You have been trying to improve your health. You want to be strong so that you are ready at all times to do the Lord’s work. You have been exercising and eating good food, and you feel more energetic than ever. Then someone tags you in a Facebook picture, taken from below, in the middle of a belly laugh, with a triple chin. All health motivation goes out the window. Why bother eating well and sweating when you are never going to look the way you think you “should”? All you feel like doing is eating a bowl of ice cream and taking a nap. Again, this may or may not be based on personal experience. And this may seem like something trivial, something that isn’t really even related to the gospel, but really, that negative thought is not put there by our Heavenly Father. So we know where it is coming from? It is an attack on a pattern of good choices, an attack on virtue – and the response to that comes from Elder Holland in general conference 2005 when he was talking about the way that young women feel about their bodies. (Another great talk you should read or watch later – I love hearing Elder Holland)

“Every young woman is a child of destiny and every adult woman a powerful force for good. I mention adult women because, sisters, you are our greatest examples and resource for these young women. And if you are obsessing over being a size 2, you won’t be very surprised when your daughter or the Mia Maid in your class does the same and makes herself physically ill trying to accomplish it. We should all be as fit as we can be—that’s good Word of Wisdom doctrine. That means eating right and exercising and helping our bodies function at their optimum strength. We could probably all do better in that regard. But I speak here of optimum health; there is no universal optimum size.”

I could go on and on with examples of what Satan would have us believe in order to stall our pattern of behavior and thought, versus the truths that Heavenly Father has for us, which will lead us to hope and continue in the work we are doing. The answers to Satan’s negative thoughts are always there. Heavenly Father has provided them for us from our leaders, scriptures and prayers.

Tomorrow – Part III, Embracing our virtue.  In the meantime, can any of you give any examples that you have noticed in your life when have been able to replace those overwhelming feelings with greater truth?

To The Virtuous Women I Know – For Mother’s Day

I gave a talk in church yesterday.  I don’t really mind giving talks – it gives me a chance to really study something out, put my thoughts together, and share them..  I especially love thinking and talking about the challenges of mothers and women.  I would like to share a slightly modified version of my talk because even though a lot of you weren’t sitting in the congregation yesterday,  I was still thinking of you when I wrote it.  I am going to break it up because it is long, so here is Part I.

Proverbs 31

10 ¶Who can find a ^avirtuous ^bwoman? for her price is far above rubies.

11 The heart of her husband doth safely ^atrust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her^ahands.

14 She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

20 She stretcheth out her hand to the ^apoor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

25 Strength and honour are her ^aclothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of ^akindness.

27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of ^aidleness.

28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also,and he praiseth her.

When I hear these verses from Proverbs 31, I immediately think of one woman – my mother. Her example of virtue is one that I have been blessed to see firsthand over and over again. She raised eight children like the mothers of the Stripling Warriors – we had no doubt that our mother knew the gospel and tried to live it. Her love for us, and for her Savior was evident in every aspect of her life. I saw her serve as Relief Society President, Young Women’s President, Camp Director, Seminary Teacher, and bishop’s wife (all time and service-intensive volunteer positions in our church). I have memories of the needy sleeping in our home, of truckers eating dinner at our table, and countless teenagers riding in our van to church activities. When my oldest brother and sister served missions at the same time, my mom added part time work to her already bursting schedule of service to help support the cost.

And now, as she struggles with her health and is limited in her abilities to keep up with her tireless dedication to the Lord’s work, I have to chance as her daughter to arise up, and call her blessed. That is truly what she is. Virtuous and blessed.

Here is thing about my mom though, that I want you know, and that will lead to what I really want to say to all of you.

My mom hated Mother’s Day. She hated it because there was always someone who stood up and read a very sweet poem about their perfect mother, and then tearfully recalled that they had never heard their mother raise their voice. She hated it because she was currently living the very hard and hectic reality of trying to serve the Lord as an imperfect person, and on Mother’s Day she always felt like she fell short. She did sometimes yell at us. Our Family Home Evenings sometimes did meet the description of “The only fight that begins and ends with a prayer.” She did try to teach us reverence in church, over and over again, and there were still moments of pinching and teasing and walking the halls. There were plenty of moments of “I can’t do this anymore” and “These kids don’t appreciate anything I do!”

Unfortunately, these feelings of exhaustion and of always falling short, are not just reserved for mothers, they seem to infect the hearts of all women. We are never good enough and this message comes rushing at us from every direction…from magazines with airbrushed supermodels on the front, to Pinterest boards filled with chevron-patterned homemade maxi skirts, 30 minute ab workouts that will give you back your pre-baby belly and FHE lessons with laminated object lessons for every chapter of the Book of Mormon, with matching refreshments and activities !

So I want to talk to all of the women, even the young women, about those feelings of never being good enough.

First, I want to talk to you about who you really are. In church’s last General Conference, Elaine Dalton (who recently served as the head of our organization for girls ages 12-18) spoke about this. She said,

“Every week young women all over the world repeat the Young Women theme. No matter the language, each time I hear these words, “We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him, the Spirit affirms to my soul that they are true.

It is not only an affirmation of our identity –who we are- but also an acknowledgement of whose we are. We are daughters of an exalted being!

In every country and on every continent, I have met confident, articulate young women, filled with light, refined by hard work and trial, possessing pure and simple faith. They are virtuous. They are covenant keepers. They know who they are and that they have a significant role to play in building the kingdom of God.”

I look around my life, and I see the same thing – daughters of a King. I see women who dedicate their lives their families. I see women who work long hours as nurses, caring patiently and carefully for people who are sick and vulnerable. I see young women who are confidently holding to standards that seem outdated and just plain weird to their classmates. Women who teach diligently. Women who are never ever idle. I see women who share words of wisdom and guidance with people who are lost and confused. All around me, I see women of virture , and yet I wonder how many of us would actually describe ourselves as virtuous women. I have even heard some of these wonderful women I described saying that talking about virtuous women makes them feel guilty and that they HOPE to be virtuous women “someday.”

Tomorrow, I want to talk to you about that guilt and what it means to be a virtuous woman, but in the meantime, can you tell me what or who you think of when you think about virtuous women?  Especially those of you who don’t share my religion, I would love to hear about virtue means to you.