Why Spudwoman?

No, I'm not from Idaho, but thanks for asking. I'm sure it's a lovely place from which to be. I don't think I've ever been there, but it's hard to say. Filled with Dramamine because of my tendency toward car-sickness, I got tucked into the back seat and then slept through several states in the union during my childhood and youth. So you never know.

And it's not because I love potatoes, which I do. Baked, mashed, roasted, boiled, fried--they're all good. Which is why, during several years of my life, I have somewhat resembled the tuber of which we speak. Yum. A good baked potato is one my favorite dinners.

Spudwoman is a relic of my pre-marital days, back in the mists of time. I was living in an apartment with a handful of other unmarried Christian women and we heard a Bible teaching which featured the Greek word "spoudazo". Spoudazo, in ancient Greek, is roughly translated "zeal". There are undertones of eagerness, diligence, and a little fear. I loved that word. Loved it from the first hearing. I embraced that word as how I saw the Christian life. My housemates thought I exemplified the word, and so Spudwoman was born. We pronounced it spood-woman, but none of us had ever seen it written, only heard it said, and assumed it was spelled spudatzo. Somehow I think we confused Greek and Italian. We were young.

For Christmas, my lovely housemates decided that I needed a Spudwoman sweatshirt. Well, naturally, you can't buy those, so they set about to make one. I can't remember any more exactly what happened (remember, this was in the mists of time!) but it never quite materialized. It's possible they ran out of time, or ran out of iron-on letters, or just realized they couldn't fit the whole thing across the front (I wore a size small back then--potato sizes came later), but for Christmas I received the plain sweatshirt and a pile of iron-on letters. I never got around to ironing them on either, but it was the thought that counted.

Spoudazo--it's still the watchword of my life. Although there have been years when the light dimmed a little due to life situations and the usual human sins, it has never gone out entirely, and these days I find myself more full of eagerness and zeal than ever. Spudwoman lives. I've had occasion this last year to do some really in-depth Bible studies, and the more I study, the more real and exciting the Word gets. This is a good thing--I pray my spudliness only increases.

This blog is primarily a way for me to keep in touch with some dear relatives waaaaaaay out of town, but I am happy for other friends and relatives to join in the fun and conversation. Comments are wonderful things. Let the wild rumpus start!

Love, Spud.