What's Important?

Over the past month or so, that question has been running through my mind a lot more than usual.  It's a result of several things going on in my life right now: work changes, health issues, a general realization of time not standing still.  My life goals seem to have changed in the last ten years, since I said good-bye to my college life and self and married my husband.  I think that as a result of where our marriage has led us, having lived in three states now, I would say that my desires in life have changed, or perhaps matured.  My old hopes for my life included a job in the design/architecture field, living in a large city (I had Chicago or Indianapolis in mind), having a big group of friends, having some pets, and someday getting married--things that seem unfulfilling to me now (except marriage, of course).  Since meeting my husband and getting married, I've been surprised at what has become important to me.  I think that my Christian faith has helped shape and mold my priorities.  I know a lot of women quote Proverbs 31 (10-31) as the ideal way to live as a Christian woman, and certainly I agree with that.  But there are other passages that women are supposed to follow as well, and I keep thinking about them too (Genesis 2:18, Ephesians 5:22-24, Titus 2:5, 1 Peter 3:1-4, etc).  I decided to really think about where my heart seems to be pulling me, and I thought I'd share them.  So, here are my new(ish) life goals:

1) I'd love to be a housewife--I've worked since I was 15 (wow, over half of my life!  And that doesn't include babysitting before entering the "real world") and I've had enough jobs to know that office life does not suit me.  At all.  I can't seem to balance my need to take care of my husband and home with the responsibilities of my job.  Plus, I find it difficult to live out the Biblical life that God intended for me as a wife.

2) A comfortable home out in the country, with lots of land--This one has developed in the past five years or so.  There have been far more bad neighbors than good in our past experiences, so the more space between us and the crazy people, the better.  Really, though, we would love to have enough land to live off of, if my hubby wants to hunt and I want to start growing fruits and veggies for us.  I wouldn't mind having a few animals, either--maybe chickens, a goat or two, a pig and cow for meat, and of course, a horse.  No farm should be without a horse.

3) A garden that would feed us throughout the year--This goes back to #2.  It's my way of providing for us, if I can grow and preserve food for us to eat all year long.  Good thing there's only two of us!

4) A return to simplicity--I hate modern technology, really.  I can honestly say that I can live without television (read a book!) and cell phones (write a letter!), but I am addicted to being able to access the internet.  I think it would be healthy for me to detox from cyberspace, but I wouldn't be able to do it unless I had to.  Hence, the need to return to simplicity.  Maybe one day, I'll just stop cold-turkey, and see how long that lasts and how well I do.  Maybe.

5) I want a dog--I had a great dog when I was growing up.  He was technically the family's dog, but we hung out together most of the time--going for walks, teaching him tricks, or just watching TV together.  It relaxed me to sit and pet him, and he liked being petted, so everyone came out a winner.  I still think about him fondly and miss him from time to time.  I think it would be great to have another pet companion to take for walks and have fun with.  It would also be nice to have a dog for the times when my husband has to travel for work, to take away from the loneliness of being at home alone.  Plus, dogs are great at chasing squirrels and other small animals (and some bigger ones, too!) away from your garden .

Why is the copyright on this picture so HUGE??  It's the same size as the bunny!

6) To live out my days with my husband and best friend--I want this more than everything else on the list.  I never thought I'd have such an amazing relationship with another person, let alone a relationship that keeps growing and deepening as time goes on.  It's such a different type of relationship than any other that I have in my life.  I want to live a peaceful, quiet life with him, sitting on our front porch watching the sunrises and sunsets (oh, who am I kidding--neither of us has ever been a morning person), with no one in the world caring at all about us.  I want us to be free to live our lives the way we want to, and are intended to live.  I want to take walks together through our garden.  I want to curl up under an old quilt with him in front of a roaring fire on a cold, snowy night.  I want to wake up every morning for the next sixty years looking at the same handsome face that I married almost ten years ago.  I want to never grow tired of hearing his stories or learning from him.  I want nothing to come between us for the rest of our days, and I want God to always be at the head of our marriage.

Is all of this too much to ask from life?  I like to think not.