Appreciating Ladies...

Last night, I attended the Ladies' Christmas Tea at church...and it was really wonderful...

I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting...maybe a somewhat smaller gathering, with ladies sitting around drinking hot tea and eating small plates of finger foods and chatting... I was hoping for the chance to meet some other women from the church and thought that a small get-together would be the perfect way to do that... But, instead, I was in awe when I walked into the main sanctuary and saw how it'd been transformed! All the chairs normally situated in the middle on Sunday mornings had been moved and put around all different shapes and sizes of tables...and the really neat thing was that each table was decorated differently, each with its own theme... Some were red and gold with candles in the middle...some were all silver with pretty decorations that reminded me of a wintery, frozen forest...some had huge, elegant centerpieces...some were simple...some even had real China and pretty water goblets at the place settings... Each table was unique and beautiful in its own way... (and afterward, as I watched all the ladies cleaning up, I realized that so many of them had brought these precious items from their own homes to share with us that evening... How neat!)

Also, there was a ton of food! The buffet tables were all decorated, too...with different levels and Christmas-y centerpieces... And, there were all kinds of crackers and dips...and desserts galore! It was really amazing...(and delicious!) I especially liked the fudge that reminded me of icing from a chocolate sheet cake! YUM! And, there was this great pumpkin bread with craisins in it....mmmmm....

The service itself was the really great part, though... There were several different songs sung by a small choir (including "O Holy Night," one of my favorites!)...and one song sung by three teenage girls...and all the songs were done without music - just voices...(and yes, there's a word for that, but I can't spell it...so "without music" will have to do...) All the ladies' voices were so beautiful! They did such a great job... Then, there were a couple of ladies who got up and spoke...one in particular, that delivered the "message" for the evening...and everyone who shared was "right on" in keeping with the true spirit of the season... It warmed my heart to see God's true heart being shared...

I've never really been a "girly girl"... I grew up with a brother... We played GI Joe's...and Legos...and guns...and pretended we were "secret spies"... I didn't ever really wear too much make-up or get all stressed out about having fashionable clothes in high school...(I shopped for what was comfortable...and usually still do!) And, even personality-wise, I tend to have more masculine traits sometimes than feminine ones... But, as I've gotten older...and through the years of being married...I've noticed that I've softened a little more...that I like to get "dressed up" sometimes...that I don't mind getting my nails done every once in a while...that if I had the money, I'd probably own 10 times as many shoes and purses as I do now... All of these things to say that...as I got ready to head home last night after the tea, God revealed to me again, just how neat it is to be a lady... Concerning the singing from the evening, He reminded me that ladies' voices were created differently than men's...and they sound so pretty when praising Him... Concerning the lovely, decorated tables...that He's given women a unique ability to make things look pretty and to make people feel comfortable in their homes and around their things... And, in general, that there are just some things that are strictly "female," and guys won't ever understand them...but how blessed we are that other ladies do...

So, here's to being a lady...especially those who love the Lord...His precious daughters...

Thank You, Lord...for creating women and making us all so unique... Thank You for all the joys and tears that come with being female... And, Thank You for girlfriends to share them with...