Last night Ellery was in a play for the premier of the International Ballet Theater, at the Irving Arts Center. The play was about the Dutch Christians who hid Jewish orphan babies from Nazis, and were sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp.
Ellery was the understudy for both children's leads, Corrie Ten Boom and her sister. Corrie survived and has told her story over and over. And shook the hand of her oppressor, who was responsible for her sister's death in Ravenbruck, in a gesture of forgiveness.
Ellery was great on stage, but the backstage hussle and bussle was truly her place to be. She loved it like I love the barn. It's fun to see the light click on in a child's eyes when they are doing what they love.
Instead of giving her flowers, I took her to Central Market to pick out her own,
and gave her some tips on how to arrange them herself.Today in Sunday school, the silly (I mean Greek patriarchal hierarchal), tired (I mean old-school traditionalist) view of gender-based segregation was dusted off and shown to everyone again. I respect Paul so much, but as a Greek celibate I don't really take my relationship cues from him. I just don't. I know who I am and the girl in the above pictures will never be told in my house that God is the head of man and man is her head. She has a head and with it, along with her heart and God, she will find her way somehow. And she won't be told that she is the glory of the man while the man is the glory of God. She along with all the children of God is glorious in her own right with all the promise, capability and authority of someone who lives for doing good and tries to be like Jesus. Like Corrie Ten Boom. And if she's like Jesus and Corrie and Paul (without the tired cultural notions of gender), she will be a great mate.
