Mulan was last Sunday's film. She defies her aging father and replaces him, disguising herself as a man, to serve her country in his place by becoming a fierce warrior. Mulan is based on an ancient Chinese legend but the "woman warrior" theme has been around in many cultures, for a very long time. Think Joan of Arc.
We women have come a long way. But we have a ways to go. If you've read my book, New Day, you know that I've fought some battles, though nothing like Mulan.
When I was a minister's wife for several decades I never once considered myself "Queen of the Parsonage." I always had dreams and aspirations that could not be squashed down to the size of a casserole dish. I never understood the rigid gender rules. One of the poems in the book speaks to this issue.
You have let me know that I have displeased you, I have not played the game according to the rules,
Honestly, I have tried.
It is not simply that we are from different generations, Or that we are from different worlds.
We are not even in the same realm of consciousness.
I do not understand the game, But if i did, I am certain, still, that I could not play.
I wrote the poem decades ago but I can still relate to it. As Pastor Rachel was closing her sermon on Philippians she reminded us of the the defining moment for Mulan where she removes her hair comb (symbolizing her traditional path into female submissive adulthood,) and, in its place, picks up her father's scroll.
Paster Rachel left us with this challenge: What will you put down? What will you pick up in its place?
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(New Day is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target and Warmart.)
