by Kiery Many people tell me I’m brave, they can’t believe how strong I am. Ten years of playing “mommy 2” isn’t overly common in the outside world. People at church would often tell me how lucky my parents were to have me and say “I bet you help out a lot, huh?” and I would nod and say “yes” while scanning the room to keep tabs on my siblings. “You guys are so blessed!” They would exclaim to my parents, “I don’t know how you do it.” My parents would nod in agreement while other Full post …
Tag: Beautiful Girlhood
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #13
April 1, 2010
Punctuality vs Tardiness – Showing high esteem for other people and their time (Ecclesiastes 3:1) – Bill Gothard by RazingRuth This is Ruth-lite because, as I was glancing through the character qualities and trying to figure out what to write about this time, I realized that this topic would contain some humor. Our family was religiously devoted to punctuality. Chalk it up to my father’s obsessive-compulsive behavior or to it being one of our operational definitions but we were rarely tardy for anything. Unless, of course, it was a social function after a long road trip. Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #12
March 19, 2010
Hospitality vs. Loneliness – Cheerfully sharing food, shelter, and spiritual refreshment with those whom God brings into my life (Hebrews 13:2)-Bill Gothard by RazingRuth The older I got, the more responsibilities I was given. When I last left my mother’s list of progeny, she’d just had me (I think). In 1986, she had “Caleb”. In 1988, she had twin boys, “Matthew” and “Luke”. We called them the Dynamic Duo because they were never still and would go on to win the “most likely to end up in the emergency room” award. After the twins were Full post …
Preparing a Visionary Daughter to Do Hard Things ~ Part 2: Maintaining Appearances
March 19, 2010
by Kiery In time, I would begin to envision myself as a fair rose hidden inside metal armor. Afraid to grow, afraid to feel, staying inside a metal cage meant to protect. As far as appearances went though, you’d never know I felt that way. I don’t think my own family knew how I felt, when it comes down to it. Appearances were very important – we always had to look perfect, the house had to be spotless, when we were moving we had to be all happy about it (even if we weren’t), that Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #11
March 13, 2010
Self Control vs. Self-indulgence – Instant obedience to the initial promptings of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:24–25) – Bill Gothard by RazingRuth The training started when I was just a toddler. I don’t remember who introduced it or how it was introduced. I just remember that, at certain points in the day, one of my parents would have us line up in the family room and begin barking commands. “Ruth, go to the table and sit in the chair. Stand up. Sit down. Sit on the floor. Move the chair. Come stand by me.” It was common Full post …
Preparing a Visionary Daughter to Do Hard Things ~ Part 1: Big Girls Don’t Feel
March 11, 2010
by Kiery I’m no stranger to hard things. In ways my life was built around doing hard things and part of that has made me who I am today. I’m no stranger to sacrifice, conflict, or rejection. For a while, these things seemed to follow me and my family wherever we went. In 19 years, my mom’s had 10 pregnancies and 8 children, most of them taking place over the last 11 years. At 8, my life would become a cycle of doing my own thing, and then that being put on hold to take care Full post …
I Am So Much More Than a Maiden of Virtue! Part 1 ~ I learned to keep my fear of hell to myself
March 9, 2010
by WanderingOne I grew up hearing about my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ deep faith. Religiosity was, for my family, an important family heritage that was carefully handed down to us children. Christianity was the most important thing my parents and grandparents thought that they could pass down to us. On my dad’s side, my great grandfather was a minister. On my mom’s side, my grandparents served on the mission field in Latin America for a few years after they got married. There was no escaping religion—it was instilled in us from before we could grasp it. Full post …
The 49 Character Qualities of Ruth #10: Basic Training II
March 3, 2010
Persuasiveness vs. Contentiousness – Guiding vital truths around another’s mental roadblocks (II Timothy 2:24) – Bill Gothard by RazingRuth One of the goals of homeschooling, for ATI and I’m sure other communities that homeschool, is to forge tighter bonds within the family unit. As my teacher and the only other female in the house (prior to the first sister), my mother and I developed a very tight bond. I looked to her as my mother, of course, but also as any small child looks upon their teacher – I thought the sun rose and set with her. She, Full post …
Michelle says, Never enough babies!
