Men and Women

I should be sewing. I have this need to be on my soap-box for a minute. I have been listening to BYU TV today. Today I have been thinking a lot about marriage, the women's movement, equal rights and men.

In today's society it seems to be okay to make men our whipping boys. It seems that whatever the problem, we can blame it on the men of the world. Women make fun of men that if the tables were turned, we women would really be screaming. It is not fair. It is not Christ-like. It is not lady-like. The women's movement has progressed or digressed to the point that we are no longer willing to be equal to men. We want to be better than them. And not in a good way.

Right after we were married, Earl showed me an article that he had read in a waiting room. It was just about this subject and what we women have become. The writer of the article was playing tennis with her husband and 3 other couples. At one point they took a break between games. They all met together at the far end of the courts to relax a bit and get some water. Her husband brought her some water. The other wives commented on how well trained he was. When it came time to play again they decided to switch courts and opponents. She discovered that she had left her racquet at the far court so she ran over to get it, at which time she found that her husband had also left his racquet on the same bench. She picked it up and carried it back to where her husband and their friends were waiting. When she arrived, the other wives jumped on her. She didn't need to be her husbands "pack and carry" "He could have gotten his own racquet" etc. It did not take that much extra energy to carry his racquet along with her own. If the other racquet would have been one of her girl friend's instead of her husband's she would have carried it back to the group and no one would have had any negative thoughts whatsoever.

There are times when I think about arguments and disagreements that Earl and I had. I was so petty. Almost to the ridiculous. I catch myself saying to myself now "Earl you were so right." When you lose your spouse, it gives you a whole new perspective on eternal marriage. I hope that this life wasn't my opportunity to become my part of our eternal relationship. I hope that when we meet again in the hereafter, that we get to keep growing and progressing.