I’ve purposely titled this post “What I Love about Shirley” rather than “Why I Love Shirley” because I believe the latter tends toward the commodification of her rather than celebrating her. By this I mean that in our culture, we tend to “value” persons based on their qualities (usually poorly chosen ones) rather than the fact that they are children of God. If I were to view Shirley in this way, I might “fall in love” with someone that might be more valuable or useful (although that would be impossible) to me. At this time, that person would need to find fat bald guys sexually appealling and be independantly wealthy.
So, the reason(s) why I love Shirley are legion and not subject to change. Now on to the list (that is certainly not exhaustive) of things I love about Shirley:
Her strength is incredible. This strength of resolve encompasses every aspect of her being. She has a strength of will that is unbreakable. Her commitment to being the best employee, best Mom, best wife, best bell-ringer, etc is unmatched. She tirelessly works at taking care of the kids and attending to their needs. She understands what they need and is tough when she needs to be and soft when they need an advocate.
Her faith is genuine and inspiring. She’s never had the kind of syruppy sweet faith that can be summed up in trite catch-phrases. It’s always been gritty, real and assuring. She genuinely sees all persons as having worth and value and often rightly rebukes my impatience with Fundamentalists. She’s not one to judge, but she has strong convictions. This terrible ordeal of Katrina continues to provide us with many uncertainties. However, her calm assurance that God will work things out steadies my worries.
Her commitment to know and do the right thing is also inspiring. She always does her best do what is needed no matter how taxing or inconvenient it is. She doesn’t cut corners in anything that she feels that she needs to do. She’s fair and compassionate for those who need mercy.
She’s sexy, and fun, and wild, and well…you wouldn’t believe me if I told you!
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