Monday, May 31, 2010

Marriage is What Women Want

I've begun reading a wonderful book that is having a huge impact on myself and my marriage. It was originally written for young single ladies who are looking for a spouse, but the principles found in it are also found in the author's book for married women.

The book is "The Fascinating Girl" by Helen Andelin, and is a companion to the book "Fascinating Womanhood" by the same author.

Unfortunately, these books have been seen as highly controversial, especially in modern society, but I am finding that more rings true in them than I ever could have imagined. In this day and age, our pro-feminism matriarchal society has been working long and hard to tell men what they want and need in their wives and sweethearts. Unfortunately, they not only are seeking to suppress men's true desires and feelings, but they are also pushing young women to work against their inner-most hopes and dreams.

No wonder the families of the world are in crisis!

Here is a quote from Mrs. Andelin's book that rang so pure and true to my heart-- though I had to quiet all the feminist propaganda that screamed in my ears in order to appreciate it the first time I read it. (We have been programmed so effectively!)

" It is right and natural for every young girl to seek to be loved and to marry. It is not our plan, it is God's plan. She is seeking something more than just a man for herself, a larger and nobler life than single days offer. She wants a home of her own, a little nest to make comfortable and to warm with her love and kindness. She wants to be someone's partner and to share with him his joys and sorrows. She wants and opportunity to be a tender, loyal and devoted wife and the mother of a family. And she wants, above all, to avoid the narrow selfish life of living alone with no one to care for, to work for, to live and die for. In fact, to want to find the man of her choice is the holiest aim a woman can entertain."

We have such a noble and beautiful work to do, as wives and mothers! What a blessing, and what a responsibility. I'm so grateful for the opportunity!

10 comments:

  1. That is such a wonderful quote! Thank you for sharing.

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  2. I don't know if you'll approve this comment, but I mean to be quite civil.

    I honestly thought I would never get married. I didn't want to. I had absolutely no desire whatsoever. It wasn't programming. It was observation of the world around me and knowing that I had never seen a marriage that I would want to be a part of. This includes many very happy marriages.

    What troubles me about the quote that you shared is that it seems so black and white--either a woman is married and taking care of everything, or she's single and her life is meaningless. But that isn't true. I know many single women who do quite worthwhile things with their lives, and just because one is unmarried does not necessarily mean that they have nothing to care for, to live and die for...I mean, it's just kind of absurd when you think about it.

    I have a single friend, for instance, who travels all over the world and helps with AIDS prevention. She loves the people she helps, she is passionate about her work--and it's a very important work.

    I could go on and on...but I'll stop.

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  3. Hello Jo! Welcome to the OFM blog. :-)

    I agree with you that single women do sooo much good in the world-- important, meaningful work. I, too know and love amazing, wonderful women who have a huge impact on the world!

    However, if a woman DOES have a chance to marry and raise a family, (I know that this is not something possible for all women!) that work is just as important and meaningful-- in fact, it is vital!

    There are so many voices in the world that diminish the value of marriage and the raising of children. My purpose with this blog is to encourage and nurture both of these ideals.

    That being said, I know that there are many whose lives don't match these ideals. So many women know the heartache of unfulfilled dreams, infertility, and loneliness. But I believe that God is aware of them. He knows their pain that comes as a result of dashed hopes. And I believe that He can fill their lives with purpose and meaning.

    Then, I also believe that “neither is the man without the woman, neither is the woman without the man, in the Lord”(1 Cor. 11:11) and that "the most important . . . work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes." (Harold B. Lee)

    While I know there are exceptions, I still have the conviction that women are born with the desire to marry and raise children. Sometimes along life's journey, many female's views of marriage becomes broken, confused, cloudy, or downright despised.

    But, just like happened to you, those feelings can be healed and renewed.

    Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comment. I really do appreciate your reminder that the ideal does not always happen, but that we can still live productive, inspiring lives! :-)

    Hugs,
    Rachel

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  4. Can I ask where you found your picture at the top of this post? And your other old fashioned pictures posted on other posts? I would love to use them for a newsletter.
    ~Heidi J.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi, Heidi!

    I have been collecting old images from the Internet for at least a decade, and I'm afraid I don't know the source of the first image on this post. However, there are a few places I can direct you to that have lots of great old-fashioned images. I hope they can help you!

    ~ http://karenswhimsy.com/public-domain-images/
    ~ http://www.doverpublications.com/ds014/index.html?s1=Dover-Yahoo%20Store&s2=Nav%20Bar%20Text%20Link&s5=sampler4
    ~ http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/

    Best wishes,
    Mama Rachel

    ReplyDelete

Old Fashioned Motherhood will not approve any comments that are rude, negative, or disrespectful. Thanks for being civil! :-)

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