Naked Truth

Hello Dear Friend,

I miss you.  I had a wonderful family holiday thanks to a ridiculously generous couple.  I was astonished when they provided a week in a beautiful flat to rest and relax.  Last time I vacationed like that it was 1997.  There wasn’t a blue tarpaulin anywhere and I didn’t once need to light a campfire.  It was delightful.  To show our appreciation I bought them a pie.  I don’t think the pie really captured the gratitude I feel, but it was a good object lesson.  Grace is like when you give a family a vacation and they give you a pie. They are such darlings.  Perhaps I will start to pray them some new friends…. Ones that can give object lessons on tenfold sewing and reaping. 

I wish we were in the same country.  If I were at your house, I would grab the blue quilt from off the back of the chesterfield, push the cat out of the armchair, and curl up.  Then I would start asking where my tea was, and if you were going to share the chocolates your mum sent.  Don’t tell me you don’t have any, I know to look in your bedside table under all the books you are NEVER going to read. 

Honestly, I came back from vacation a little bit messed up.  You asked why I hadn’t written and I didn’t answer.  The truth, “I can’t stop thinking about all the almost naked people that were walking around the lake and I’m worried I’m going to blog about it,” didn’t seem helpful.

So here we are……

I need to blog about mostly naked behinds.

If you are under 18 I would like you to leave now.  I still love you, but get your mother to read this first.  It will save us both an angry email exchange.

Okay…… so……. 

When I am out in public I people watch.  Mostly, because I am hyper vigilant and need to be ready to launch my friendly self at anyone who looks sideways at my children.  The other reason is because I have a hard time sitting still and doing nothing.  In order not to rip out my hair or start organizing a stranger’s picnic blanket, I study my surroundings.  I watch, I listen, and I pray.

After this trip, I found out I also gasp, scream and hide my eyes while shouting “too much good news!”  Ask my girls, they might actually acknowledge I’m their mother now.  The truth is, there are a lot of undressed people who frequent beaches. In fact, mostly they are naked, with a minimal strips of fabric sticking to their person.  Okay, I get that.  But after overhearing some of the conversations naked people were having, I left the lake with a headache.

One case was a beautiful 13 year old girl who was wearing a bikini.  I suspect the swimsuit was in fact stolen off one of her 18 inch dolls.  It did little to cover and a lot to advertise.  Mother was dressed in a similar fashion.  When the girl’s suit started to ride up where cloth shouldn’t go, her mother pulled her aside to scold her.  “You have to be more careful!” she hissed, grabbing at the offending fabric.  It was kind of ridiculous, like being set up for failure.  Why not hand the child a face cloth to wear, and then scold her for getting a sunburn 8 hours later? 

Over and over again, the scene repeated itself.  Mostly women, sometimes men, dressed minimally in order to influence, impress, and incite.  So many times, the would-be-nudist was too young to comprehend the impression they made.  Over and over again, I wondered, “Where is your Father?  Why is he letting you wear that?” 

If you are a pagan, this question isn’t for you.  I understand your answer; freedom attained, fight repression, sexuality celebrated.   Really I get it.  I have been there.  But if you are a father who is in the church, I desperately would like to know, “Are you comfortable with your daughter dressing like that?”  Because let’s be clear, after your daughter has been out, somewhere there is a man at home, thinking about your girl in her state of undress.  Isn’t that a bit sad? 

Man of God, sometimes I feel we set you up for failure.  I ask you to lead the family, but then emotionally blackmail you if you make me angry.   If an argument gets heated, I reserve the right to throw every emotion I can at you in order to win the fight.  I ask you to lead, but make you afraid of upsetting me so you can’t speak your mind.  Please forgive me.

Man of God, I’m praying for you this week.  That you would spend time with God to know where He is asking you to lead.  That you would use the spiritual disciplines of fasting and prayer to get you to the place where His peace covers your family.  For you to rise up and be loving and leading. 

I’m cheering for you,

xoxKaren

Emotional blackmail:  Withholding conversation and positive interaction in order to prove how angry I am.  I will not talk to you or work things out because it is more important for me to punish you by my silence or disapproval.