Wife, Mama, and What?

I have been writing at this blog address for over a year now and never have posted on it's unusual name. Some of you may have already understood the allusion, but others of you have probably wondered at some point or another. Here is the story....

When logging in to Blogger for the first time, one is immediately prompted to provide a name for the fledging blog to be created. It is a daunting task to name something that then is put out into the world for anyone to see. I knew that my blog would be only about me. After all, personal blogs are by definition the epitome self-centeredness in many ways. It would be what I thought about, what happened to me, and my observations about the world. However, I wanted to portray in my blog what I value about myself and focus on my main callings in life. Thus, "Wife" and "Mama." I started writing here just after we moved to Kosciusko, and thus "Country Mouse."

Richard Scarry wrote a little story called "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse." It is about a little country mouse named Annie who is visited by her city mouse friend, Melissa, and awed by Melissa's descriptions of rich city life, decides to return to the city with Melissa. After being chased by a cat and a dog in Melissa's grand house, Annie runs all the way home and settles back into her cozy life with a new thankfulness for her humble home. The story ends with these words, spoken by Annie, "I would rather live a simple life in peace, than dine on riches and live in fear."

And so it was with me last year when we moved to Kosciusko. The blog name asks the question that I was asking myself, "Am I really a 'country mouse?' Do I really want to be here?"In many ways, this simple life can pale in comparison to the comforts and opportunities that come with living in a larger city. The draw to be a "city mouse" is strong. And the draw to choose a place based on what I want and what I like is strong.

Yet, I know though that God went before us and clearly called us here, to this place, to this small Mississippi community. I too have learned Annie's lesson. I am thankful for a chance to live "a simple life in peace."