Wives, honor your husbands....

It's always the first thing to go whenever I start venturing into a "selfish" time. I'm smart, I have lots of experience, and I haven't ever lit myself on fire. So with those stats to my name, I figure that I am pretty trustworthy and sensible. I am always eager to share my point of view with others who want to hear it, and I love to help out in any situation, if I feel I have something to offer. So, the natural Heather usually wants to cruise along the road she sees as the most efficient and wise. As a daughter of God, being blessed with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, I should be more than qualified to be able to make my own decisions in life and pretty much do what I want, after all, like I described above, I have a pretty good resume.

BUT.....that's just not the case, because of one little detail....I'm not Miss anymore. I am a wife, and even though God blessed me with a mind of my own, I have pretty plain instructions in the Bible of how I am to train that mind and will, now that I am married to a dashing man. One simple word, but let me tell you, it involves a lot more of a woman's life than I'd thought at first.

HONOR....five letters, 2 syllables, nothing that seems very jam packed. But, as I've discovered in the last year, that little word must become my entire attitude if I'm going to do my duty as the wife of a happy man. Us frau's were clearly instructed in the Bible to "honor our husbands", and I've learned how that mind frame of honoring weaves it's way into literally EVERY situation I find myself in. Honoring your man means ALWAYS considering his wants and needs as top priority, even when I am quite sure that I know better. Taking his word for things, even if you "know" that you are more of an expert on that topic. We must make ourselves a new life plan: to live to serve our husbands. We are to put away our selfish desires and adopt his ideals and interests. I'll be the first to admit that that sounds like kind of a rip off. I mean, why would God bless me with these stellar ideas and killer I.Q. if He wanted me to put them on the back shelf and begin to rely on someone else's opinions and judgement to get me through life? It gets a little more disturbing than that yet; you must do all of that with a happy heart! Can you believe it??? Did we actually sign up for this? How can I be expected to be happy about giving up all of my authority and freedom to someone who thinks I'm losing my mind when I can go from crying like I lost my best friend to laughing like there is a gas leak in the basement within 5 minutes?

Because God made us to be the most fulfilled and at our fullest potential when we are doing just that! When you honor your husband, even if he doesn't seem to deserve it, you will be blessed more than you will ever imagine. God created us to be servants to our male counterparts, and to dedicate our lives to meeting all of his needs and desires, with a genuinely good attitude. We are to put ourselves under his authority and accept his decision making about our lives as the wisest.

So, there's got to be a bonus around here somewhere; surely we aren't supposed to loose our last name and our bossy ways all for nothing. Try this benefit's package on for size:
1. Physical protection
2. Companionship
3. Lover at our disposal
4. Father for our children
5. Provider
6. Spiritual guide and shield
7. Our mediator with the outside world
8. God-given, personal advisor with wisdom to spare

I'll be the first to step out and say that it actually seems like we're getting the better deal here. I can honor an honorable man for the return listed above. Now I know that not all women are blessed with the kind of man that I have, but the command is the same to all women. You'd be amazed what a little genuine respect and honor will do to even the most harsh, unloving man. Even if he doesn't respond the way he should, and love you the way God commanded him to, God will bless the honoring wife just the same, and you will reap rewards for your obedience.

So, this is a bit of the mass of information that I've been processing over the last while. I'm no expert on the matter, but I do know what I'm supposed to do, even though I don't always choose to do it. But I have realized that an honored husband is what every woman wants and deserves, and it's all up to us to bring it to pass. So, give it a shot today; show a little R E S P E C T and see what happens.

Compliments of Menno Simmons....

I'm not sure why, but my Mennonite heritage is one of the most valuable parts of my identity. There aren't a lot of Mennonite Brethren folk around here, but whenever I hear the name Penner, Janz, Neufeldt, or Dyck, my antennas go up. It seems like there is some sort of secret bond between Mennonites of the same breed...maybe it's because we're all related somehow. And if we can't figure out how we're related, we can always find a mutual friend or two. We, Menno's, love to talk about how we all fit together, and that can prove to be rather annoying to those who aren't MB. "So, John Dueck married Anna Hildebrand last week..." "Oh really? Is she Abe Thiessen's daughter?" "Yes, Abe and Gertrude have 79 grandchildren now, too!" "Wow, and they still have 6 children living at home!"

Another thing that is purely MB, is our own dialect of German. It isn't uncommon to be able to catch the general drift of a conversation between 2 MB's, even if you don't know a stitch of German. "Das 'lasagna' schmekt sehr gut!!" or "Ich liebe Hockey Night in Canada".

2 of the people responsible for me and my treasured heritage, are my Opa and Oma. They have quite a story, full of action, drama and romance, but I'll save that for another post; perhaps on their 60th Anniversary, this November. I love how even though they have lived in Canada for over 60 years, they have held on to so many of the Mennonite customs and practices. Most importantly, the FOOD! My Oma is inarguably the best cook in the whole world. I like to think that that skill was among the traits that was passed down to me. My Mom sure got it, so MAYBE...... Whenever Oma comes for a visit, we make our favorite MB dish, Gloms Wareneki mit Schmaunt Fett und Raucher Wurst. *translation* cottage cheese perogies with sausage cream gravey and mennonite farmer sausage. YUMMY!! You don't need to eat much for a week or so after a meal like that!

I feel so blessed to be given a heritage like the one I have, and I look forward to passing down some of that lifestyle to my kids. I want my kids to know where they come from, and that being Mennonite means more than being born from food loving, german speaking, 4-part harmony singing immigrants; it means that your ancestors fought for their lives to get to Canada, and to freedom. They didn't care what it took, or what it would cost them...they wanted a better life for their children and grandchildren. Being MB is a miracle this day in age because of what our grandparents had to overcome in order for us to even be born. So, next time we sit down to a good meal, and after we've sung a rousing rendition of "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow", I'll thank God for the care and provision he showed my ancestors, so they could be here to teach me about who I am....a MENNONITE!!!

Jaded...

So, I have this friend, she's been around for a while, but we haven't gotten really close untill the last few months. We were always pals, but not like this; in the words of Anne Shirley, we're "kindred spirits" or "boosom friends". In the past year, we've both had our share of hard times, fun times and nearly breaking times, but we've always been there for eachother. When I'm with her, I feel like the authentic Heather that hides inside. I'm not afraid to tell her anything, or for her to see me in my underwear. I treasure our times together, even if we don't say a word. Things don't seem as real until she knows. Now, I know that some of you are wondering why this gem in my life is worth a whole blog entry, but as you married mom's know, being blessed with a friendship like this after highschool is harder to find than it sounds. Everything changes when you have a husband and kids; you don't have time to nourish friendships like you used to. Not everyone would appreciate being fourth on my priority list. But she does...she knows that I love my family the most, and I think she respects that. She supports that priority even when it means a loss for her. She is the most selfless friend I think I've ever had and I have a lot to learn from her about grace and mercy.

You know that feeling you have when you know that everyone is looking at you and envies you for something you have, well that's how I feel when I think about this cherished friendship. So, next time you see us, BACK OFF! She's MINE!!

So, apparently this is more fun than I'd thought it would be! I'm still trying to figure out how to run this blog site; I'm not very savvy when it comes to computers, so the fact that I even got this blog started is a small miracle in itself! I much prefer to do things outdoors; gardening, hunting, and quadding, to name a few. Four years ago, Gerald and I went to a spot way back in the hills; a place where Gerald had enjoyed many good times with Kevin, our dear, departed friend. We quadded for about an hour through very beautiful terrain, much of which looked like a rain forest due to the abundance of natural springs. The ferns and leafy plants were so bug that I found myself in awe of the robustness of the nature; much different than the vegetation that exists around most of Baytree. We got to the special spot and I was thrilled to see that although it resembled the view from the Baytree Rimrocks, that I'm sure lots of you are familiar with, this new scene was so much more grand and magnificent in size and beauty. To make a long story short, Gerald and I built a camp there, and stayed there one night, before getting snowed out. I was actually pregnant with Jake at the time, but didn't know it yet. So, needless to say, after we found out that Jake was on the way, that was the end of quadding for a while. And so, our camp was left alone for the past four years, while we tried to survive Jake's screaming for the first several month's of life, numerous moves and other obstacles that prevented us from making the treck out to the camp. Well, this summer has been no different; always something needing to be done; so we haven't done much quadding. But, one afternoon last week, Gerald took off his tool belt and we packed the cooler, fired up the "orange quad" and the "green quad", as Jake calls them. Apparently, the color is more important than the make or the model, something that will surely change for Jake in the years to come. We bounced our way through the bush and past the salt lick, that has been VERY used this year, due to the lack of rain. I know where I'm setting up my tree stand this year! When we reached the camp, we saw that the bears had all but demolished our shelter, and there were pieces of shredded, blue tarp leading into the bush in all directions. But the log benches were still intact, along with the fire pit. There were a few littered beer cans here and there, but Gerald quickly kicked them out of sight, while muttering something about how mad "those kind of people" made him. We were sad to see all of the large pine trees that lined the edge of the cliff dying from pine beatle infestation, but the view was more than enough to make up for the bare evergreens that were no longer evergreen. We enjoyed our gourmet supper of iced tea from a mason jar and jumbo Schneiders hot dogs, about which Gerald instructed me not to buy again. Then after tossing a few boulders over the edge and walking down a few rims only to be grossed out by masses of pack rat nests, we headed back home. On the way home, Monika stated that this was our "secret camp" and if we don't tell anyone where it is, no one but us will ever go there....I guess the beer cans didn't mean anything to her...

In the beginning...

So, in an attempt to broaden my horizons, I'm beginning a blog...not because I feel pressured to be like everyone else, but because I wonder if it might be a thereputic and less risky way to vent...


I just had the most wonderful time with my dear friend, Angela. Her home is always so warm and inviting, and I'm sure that's mostly due to it's keeper. Our kids are close in age and I believe they will all be lifelong friends, which is rather handy, as I think their mother's are going to be, as well. We share a lot of the same priorities in life and in parenting, and our husbands seem to enjoy each other's company too, which is a blessing. Is it me, or is it really rare to find a family of friends that all appreciate the match?

I've not been the best communicator this past year or so, but now that I have experienced so much victory in my life, I feel like this is a new beginning, of sorts. So, if you care to follow along, I'll attempt to share my thoughts on "the days of our lives", and make them sound as interesting as possible, without straying from the truth....to much...