Journal for Christa— (from May 24, 2009)
I wear a lot of hats…that’s what I do. Women tend to wear a lot of hats and throughout a lifetime will take up and set aside a variety of hats.
At 54, I feel more comfortable in my hats than I used to. I’m also brave enough now to wear only the hats God hands to me and not all the ones people think I should wear…you can get a lot of hats that way. I’ve also learned to try on a hat for a while before I decide to keep it. I’m liking this journaling hat. It seems to suit me for now.
It’s always been a lot easier for me to reach for a hat than to give one away. But we need to take an honest look at our hats from time to time and ponder why we wear them—Sometimes it’s because we must, sometimes because we should, some because we love them; but some hats need to be passed on and some just burned.
The hat you must always cherish is your wife hat. Although it’s the one I always wear, it can be the easiest to neglect. But don’t neglect that hat. It’s the one you want to be there when all the others are gone.
The parent hat can morph into all sorts of shapes. There will be times it will feel like a battle helmet, but mostly it makes you laugh, sing, and pray. My Granny hat always makes me smile. It smells all sugary, like cake, and has a lollipop through the band. It’s most becoming.
Yesterday was graduation. When I came home, I tossed my teacher hat in an old chair. I like to set aside that hat periodically, for it gives me time to tend to my other hats. But come August, I’ll grab it as I rush out the door and carry it back to school.
Let’s tend to our hats together this week.
