Anyone dropping by the house an hour ago would have been surprised to find me sitting on the couch, surrounded by books and notes, and crying like a baby. This morning, I just finished a book by Brenda Haugen about the life of Martha Washington. The entire read was convicting for me. This woman was truly a Proverbs 31 woman. When her husband was away, she managed the estate. When his duty called him to serve in the Army, she gave up her comfortable living conditions to stay with him and his men in the camp. When her husband was elected President, she gave up her private life for eight years and served alongside him. When I read the last two paragraphs depicting Mrs. Washington’s death and legacy, I couldn’t help but feel as though I had lost a close personal friend. I couldn’t tell from reading the book whether it was written from a Christian perspective, but I could certainly tell that the heroine of the story was a Christian. I look forward to meeting her one day, and getting to know her better. In the meantime, I am going to double my efforts in supporting my husband in all of his endeavors and activities.
Here is one of my favorite quotes from the book, from a letter written by Martha Washington:
“I cannot blame him for having acted according to his ideas of duty in obeying the voice of his country. I am still determined to be cheerful and to be happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.”
Full Circle Homeschooling 