Amy and I have been studying “Created to Be His Help Meet” by Debi Pearl. I find that I am always hesitant to talk about it with anyone because I am afraid they would think I was crazy. I want to say that it is radical, but it is anything but that. It is a very conservative view of how the bible describes the wife’s role in marriage.
It talks of submission to your husband, not grumbling or complaining, having a merry cheerful heart, having a thankful spirit, helping your husband to fulfill his dreams and desires. Last week I read a sentence that says, “God designed marriage to be an earthly pattern of the divine marriage of Christ and the Church.” Anytime I’ve ever read this biblical metaphor, I have to admit, I have found it rather hokey. I mean I sort of understand what they’re trying to say, but I just have this image of the Church (the heavenly bride) coming down the aisle in a wedding dress and Christ (the bridegroom) standing at the altar,… It just feels silly and awkward. Well, last week when I read this I suddenly had this blazing image of what it really means. Having a better understanding of the wife’s role, gave me an understanding of the role of the Church. That is how we are supposed to be as Christians. We are called to submit to Christ’s authority without grumbling or complaining, having a joyful heart and a thankful spirit, helping Christ to fulfill his desires for the world,… How beautiful.
I know it will be a miracle if I ever am fully the kind of wife that her book and the Bible describe, but I desire it completely. At times it seems overwhelming, but if I can just start focusing on the little things, I believe that my heart will be changed in the end. Then it won't seem so impossible.
Elinore had her first solid food last night. Rice Cereal. Looks like mush, tastes like nothing. Yum. She did pretty well, although she looked confused the whole time. She made a decent mess pushing it out of her mouth with her tongue, but I think she swallowed several mouthfuls. Another baby milestone. I'm just glad I don't have to eat that stuff. Not that it's bad, it's just...blah. 
Little by little Elinore grows and learns and changes..., and I get to be part of that. Slowly I start to have glimpses of what she might be like when she gets older. She has started to laugh, when I read her a story at bedtime she likes to grab the pages, her first tooth broke through the gums this weekend, and she has just discovered that she can pull her big toe all the way to her mouth. I want to be intentional about loving each stage she is in. It is hard. There are so many things I am looking forward to - feeding her real food, teaching her to swim, talking with her, watching her run around. I want to hurry those things along. However, I know that when those times come I will miss the times that have gone. I will remember when she was so tiny and vulnerable. When my smile and her big toe were the most captivating things in her world. And so I am excited about today. Today is my favorite stage. 
I actually had a chance to do some focused picture taking (I feel a bit amateur to call it photography) the other day. Amy and I had taken the kids to Window on the Waterfront, and I took the camera. The digital camera, mind you, which
remains a bit of a mystery to me. Elinore slept in her stroller for most of it, but Lydia and Sam had a ball running around. It felt really good to be taking photos again. Hopefully I'll have more opportunities now that the weather is warming. And now that I have a baby, I always have a subject to photograph! Poor Elinore. 