Words of Wisdom

I don't know how many of my readers take seriously the idea of a Titus 2 sisterhood, but I honestly believe that God will put people in your pathway to learn from. They aren't always who you expect, I've got many of them listed in my sidebar of favorite people. The wisdom of women is so underrated, it's an intuitive sort, more heartfelt and life-worn than you'd expect.

The whole point of that is to talk about two Titus women in my life. One is my dental hygienist, and yes, I really do love going to the dentist. Not just because it's one of the few times I leave the house sans kids (and not always then, I had Dan with me today) but because the entire office is fun-loving and kind. They're attached to their patients and remember our stories. My hygienist has raised five children. She knows what the day looks like. But she's so focused on the blessings of God that they are, and she really understands them as people. I always walk away from the chair with not just clean teeth but a renewed ambition to respect the people they are NOW with the souls with which they have been endowed.

The other is the wife of our recently departed Troop Master, Doc B. His wife was dragged into being a scout leader twenty years ago, and she has stepped whole-heartedly into the role of changing the lives of her Little Men. Kind and compassionate, with high expectations, she has not limited herself to the guys, but shares her love and wisdom with the parents and sisters, and leads such an active life that one can only imagine how many lives she has touched. Today she saw I was looking ragged (and maybe I'll post about it, but maybe I'll just write it off) and asked how I was doing. I mentioned that it had been a heck of a day, and I was exhausted. She smiled and said, "You know, Hal used to talk about those days. He'd say that there are so many days in a year, and that at the end of a day like that, you mark it off, and know it was done. We used to call them clam chowder days." Of course, she smiled wistfully, and breaks my heart a bit, I can't imagine losing my beloved (and often selfishly pray to go first). At my questioning look, she laughed and said "Those were the days when his nurse would call me and say it was a day that the doc needed a bowl of clam chowder for dinner. He loved clam chowder."