A Thank You

Thank you ladies for the thoughtful replies!


Leigh - You're very right, I didn't do it for attention purposes. My parents are rather fond of it themselves; I would never have done it without their permission. I feel a bit of a connection with women of the past and across cultures with my little jewel.

Everly - You're absolutely right about legalism. It's a reason I'm personally glad that as a Catholic I have access to the teachings I do. I do know it's not for everyone; I hope this blog never causes a denominational clash, as I respect all true Christian paths, as well as the path of our Jewish fathers.


Maggie - It is indeed confusing, and I'm normally glad to have the guidance of the Church, but in situations such as these, where everyone seems to have a differing opinion, I do like to go back to the source myself. Thank you so much for the links!


Thanks also for your concern about me denying myself too much. The fact of the matter is I led a very secular life for a long time, and so it's important for me to check everything out. I still have my music, my sometimes obsessive hobbies, and my (many!) books. My dancing is also a very human pleasure in which I engage.*

Some things, of course, have to be thrown out. The best example is my music. A few songs I kept around because of the beat or music, but which had trashy lyrics, definitely had to go. In one case, I had several albums from the same artist that I finally decided were better off in the garbage, because the lyrics were either promiscuous, anti-God, or just plain angry and depressing. At the same time, I'll delete a song or two from a particular artist while keeping quite a bit around. (Heaven help the fool who comes between me and my Sting) And then there are some things that are just fine the way they are.

My main purpose in my more serious posts is, of course, to gain advice from everyone who dips in about the issues I have some trouble with. It's no substitute for prayer, I know, but you all are a huge help. It's extremly helpful to me to take in varied ideas about the same subject, especially when my own scope is narrow. And I thank you all for responding so kindly.

*A tangent about that: Last night I had my first class after my decision to stop dancing publicly, and it was amazing. I was able to see myself in a different light, and a smile kept tugging at the corners of my mouth. When I'm not worried about what other people (an audience) would think, it becomes all about me being thankful to God for making me a woman. And, yes, a few daydreams about the future. :)