LIVity

When I was on the verge of womanhood, I would read and re-read Proverbs 31 trying to ingrain the traits of being the ideal woman.  The summary to the left is bare bones and doesn't grasp how amazeballs "ideal" is, so check out the full text if you have a moment.  But let's just say, if she existed, she'd be that mom every other mom hated because her life was so daymn perfect lol. She could do it all and she had it all. 

Needless to say, I'd walk away from this text amazed, but also feeling defeated because let's be honest, nobody can ever achieve all of that. And if it looks like someone is, something is probably way off balance in parts of their life that aren't visible.

To make matters worse, Christianity doesn't provide any in depth examples of the inner lives of women, let alone those of the ideal woman . 

And that's why I loved reading The Red Tent.  The author, Anita Diamant, spun an entire story about the women mentioned in passing in the Bible and has Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, as narrator.  So kind of like biblical history told from a female point of view, but more character driven.

Initially, I thought it was a cool concept, made for a great read and so I was just going to add it to my recommended reading page. But then I started thinking about what Diamant really did with this book.  It wasn't preachy, but it showed Dinah and her mother figures encompassing the virtues of ideal, but very real and imperfect women.  Much like myself. I may not get it all or any of it right at any given time, but I try.  I try to be responsible and do that right thing when necessary, but sometimes I just want pure enjoyment.  I honor my family most times, but when it's time to set boundaries for my own well-being, I do that too.  But maybe most importantly, I try to keep faith.  Sometimes I falter and that's okay because everything will work out.

The last thing I'll leave you with is that this book truly celebrates womanhood.  From our hopes, dreams, strengths, weaknesses, pain, happiness, ritual, loving, wisdom, everything that makes us women, it just made me want to walk up to every lady I saw and fist bump them lol We are awesome! Read this book, ladies and then buy a copy for your mom and your best friend so we all can bask in our sisterhood :-)

~ With ♥ from Halima