A gorgeous jacket caught my eye
as I was flipping through an issue of a fashion magazine, trying to find the
“perfect” haircut—you know, just cute enough to say I am still “fashionable”
yet not too cute as to say “I’m 55 years-old trying to look 30.” The jacket was
what I would call “car length.” It was covered in an animal print.
At that point, having lost my
focus on trying to find a picture of a perfect haircut to take to my stylist, I
intently surveyed the different animal print products—from handbags to pants to
shoes—each seeming a bit wild and yet quite appealing. Of course at my age I
couldn’t fathom donning a full-on animal print ensemble—or maybe I was never at
the correct age to wear such an outfit—but there was still something attractive
about an animal print accessory, and most especially that coat!
It just seemed “fun.”
Sometimes, as Christian women, we
forget that we are called to have fun. In our day-to-day living in which we
embrace our roles as wives and mothers and sisters and care-givers, we forget
that there ought to be joy in our journey. Often that joy is a quiet one, maybe
it settles upon our spirit during Eucharistic Adoration or it may be found in
caring for a sick family member or even in serving food to the homeless; but
other times joy is that sheer pleasure of being alive. It is that recognition
that God made us uniquely female and that we have an ability to experience our
world in a very feminine, fun way.
Time spent with our friends tends
to reflect who we are: those who have been created different but equal to men.
In the space of a lunch together we can laugh, cry, pray and laugh some more.
We have the capacity to contemplate the things of the world while being able to
lovingly tend to a scraped knee.
Some of us can bake and sew—this
gal has not been given those particular talents—while others may be able to
organize school plays or board meetings.
Through it all, with everything
that rests upon our shoulders, it is good to remember that we are called to
have fun.
When my third son was a youngster
I remember that he used to skip everywhere he went. I got such a kick out of
watching him skipping to his bike, skipping down the hall to his bedroom and skipping
through the grocery aisles. For me, seeing him skip around reflected his innate
ability to have fun—his great joy at being alive and very much in the moment.
Ah, youth!
Looking at that animal print
jacket in the magazine, I was reminded of my son’s skipping; I was reminded
that my journey, too, is meant to be fun. As Christian women we have to be
cautious to not get too bogged down in our duties as matriarchs wherein the fun
of being alive sort of slowly vanishes.
Fun isn’t just for the young but,
as they say, for the young at heart.
None of my friends can understand
why I am so anxious for cooler temperatures to arrive. But it will all become
clear when they see the fun coat I have to wear!
Cheryl Dickow
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