Woman in the Window

"Because the neighborhood was so dark and lonely, I always felt a warm reassurance upon seeing the woman in the window, sewing. I cannot explain all the thoughts I had but here are some: somehow, I thought that she was very brave. She was not ashamed of her homemaking and was not self-conscious about being seen in the window, sewing. It brought back memories of my mother singing while she swept the front porch. The other feeling was that it somehow made the world better. It showed that no matter what the current news media hype or world threat was, the woman in the window as still going about her daily work and taking her duties seriously. And still another feeling it gave me is one of wanting to go home and be very creative and industrious. The sight of her in that window was like a light in the darkness."

Mrs. Lydia Sherman posted a lovely article (literally: lots of nice paintings) about the effect one stranger had on her. If you want more than the part I quoted, you can read the article here.

I was impressed by the impact one silent, diligent, feminine woman could have. Little actions speak volumes. So do the clothes you wear, for that matter. Natalie Nyquist wrote an article linked on Ladies Against Feminism about the statement her long flowing skirts made to her fiance. Next time you do anything, consider what impression it will give to people. Will you inspire others and build them up?

If you're short on examples in your neighborhood, you can find paintings of inspiring activities to put up in your house. One hanging over my lamp is of a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse on the east coast. The fact that the children are learning, and that there is peace in a room so full of kids overseen by one busy woman is positively inspiring to me.

I also collect old photographs, and scrapbook them with a message. One quotes Proverbs: "The memory of the just is blessed." There are pictures of farmwives, or one of my favorites is of a pair of girls doing dishes, smiling widely. Some of these are hanging on my wall. Thinking about their lives, and the attitudes they expressed for the camera encourage me to keep on, and to continue with a sense of adventure, delight, and elegance. See a few of these pictures here.

To God be all glory.