Fallow Fields

"...Instead of seeing this hard-working span of years as a time of disciplined growth, it is too commonly thought of as a time of intellectual stagnation for the young mother...
...really, they are not dormant years with nothing happening to stimulate a housebound woman's mental processes, any more than nothing is happening in the fallow field where bacteria, molds, earthworms, and weeds are at work. Every day of every year brings something new to learn about and appreciate. A mother can scarcely escape becoming something of an authority on nutrition and vitamins, interior decorating, or sewing, or gardening. Her natural home makeing instincts have opportunities to become skilled tools.

If only we are not in too great a hurry, and are willing to take even a hen's pace to enjoy the opportunity to mature and grow through the ordinary family frame, we can be wife, mother, poet, musician, or whatever our gift may be."

The Pace of a Hen, by Josephine Moffett Benton