Day 3

I love this skirt. I love it, because it swirls. The five year old in me finds that quality very appealing. You never know, at any moment, just walking down the street, the sudden urge to spin might come over me. Having a swirly skirt will come in handy!

My headcovering is an oblong scarf from Target tied in a variation on the Crown style from Tznius. Rather than just tying the ends by my ear and leaving them long, I like to tie them in a big, loose bow. It's more secure for me and gives a little more oomph. Also, rather than twisting the long end as I wind it around the top of my head, I usually just let it lay smooth. The sleeker look seems to work better for me.

We had the dress rehearsal for the children's Christmas play at church today. I was put in charge of tying the scarves of the girls in the cast. That gave me a chuckle. I'm the only one in my parish who covers, so here I am, a relatively new convert, and all the older women of the parish are asking ME how to tie the kids' scarves. Most of them have been Orthodox their entire lives, but they didn't have a clue how to put a scarf on their heads. Ultimately, it made me kind of sad. I wish I could tell them in an effective way what they're missing.

I loaned one of my hijab-style scarves to one of the girls. She complained that it felt funny and itched. I agreed that I felt the same way when I started wearing scarves. My head literally rebeled at having something placed on it. I told her that it stops bothering you if you wear them for awhile. Taking the opportunity, she asked, "Why DO you wear them all the time?" I replied simply, "It helps me remember to pray." Her eyes lit up and she nodded in agreement. That made sense to a 10 year old. She saw how valuable a reminder can be.

People rarely ask me about the covering, but that's my standard explanation. Modesty, submission, roles of men and women, obedience to God--- those are hot topics. But remembering to pray seems to go down easy for the inquirer. I think we all know we don't pray enough.