Men and women can be many things. But whether male or female, perhaps the highest callings of either are that of Spouse and Parent. Warriors may win battles or wars, but Spouses win the absolute surrender of hearts. Queens may change governments and cultures, but Parents change the entire course of the future when they commit themselves to their children. Servants serve God and others, but Spouses must live in service to one another at a nearly mystical level if their marriages are to survive and thrive. Saints give us a window to faith for the masses, but Mothers and Fathers root faith into entire generations. As a result, no Framing Story would be complete for Peri without highlighting the sacred of roles of Wife and Mother as a critical component to what it means to be a "Woman of Both Hands". This photograph is of my wife, Samantha (she's trying to demonstrate a couple of Tai Chi moves she learned from a friend while posing in front of the temple gates at the Shaolin Monastery in China). Many simply know her as "Sami". She is the most incredible woman i have ever met, and, even after nearly 15 years of marriage, I can honestly say that i live in awe of her. She is strong but sensitive, fierce but tender, funny but serious, smart but whimsical, a pillar of faith and faithfulness and yet still "in motion" and ever in-process, and possessing a commitment to her family that is only rivaled by her commitment to her Lord and Savior. In short, she is all things that i could have hoped for in a wife and mother for my children. Peri already sees her as a central figure in her world, and while the women in the other posts are amazing, Sami is certainly the most accessible to Peri in terms of how their qualities all look day to day in the life of a real woman. It is my privilege to call this amazing woman my wife, and a joy to present her to my daughter as both symbol and tutor for what a young woman should aspire to be on the way to becoming a Samurai and a "Woman of Both Hands".
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