Imperturbability

"An ideal homemaker exercises patience, understanding, and imperturbability unless controlled anger and reasonable discipline are justified. She will do her best to take those bad days when everything seems to go wrong in her stride, realizing that we need some valleys in order to appreciate the mountains."

To be imperturbable is to be incapable of being agitated. It means to remain calm and controlled, especially in an emergency or under the pressure of serious disturbances or disappointments. This is something I strive for everyday. It is hard. Some days I feel like I am forever cleaning up spilled milk. But, as I have learned, a homemaker must make the best of every situation. She must learn to adjust and take things in stride. I need to be prepared for the fact that things won't ever go smoothly. It will always take me too long to get out of the house and into the car. There will always be a load of laundry that needs to be done, a diaper that needs changing, or a mess to clean. This is the lot that I have chosen for myself, and despite its difficulty, I wouldn't rather be doing anything else.

When I first got the book "The Art of Homemaking," I bought it as a joke. But the more I read, the more I realize that being a good homemaker takes practice. The ideas in this book from 1963 work today, but I am afraid that they aren't taught now as they should be. They are overlooked (and this is coming from someone who majored in Home and Family in college!). When I started this blog I wanted it to be dedicated to making myself a better homemaker. It is important to me because I think it is the most important job a woman can have. One of my greatest blessings is that I get to stay home and be a mother and homemaker. I have never wanted to do anything else. Because I have chosen this life for myself, I think imperturbability is one of the most important qualities a mother can have. To smile at a child who knows he has done a wrong is a hard thing sometimes, but it can make such a difference. Harold B. Lee said, "There is so much harshness in the world. Don't let your children hear any of it from you."

And here I will stop because I feel like this is turning into a Sacrament Meeting talk.