What picture does the word “widow” bring to mind? Is it an image of someone pathetic, sad, drab—garbed in black and forever mourning?

When 15-year-old Phoebe Prince hanged herself, ending her life by suicide, the Massachusetts teenager touched off a national discussion about bullying. Ultimately, six of her classmates were prosecuted for crimes related to her suicide, leading to six guilty pleas in May 2011. Phoebe was one of many young adults involved in self-inflicted deaths prompted by bullying. Such tragic occurrences, when individuals lose hope and feel they cannot turn to anyone for help, often show people how little they know about each other. But these horrible events do not need to occur.

In a quest for beauty at all costs, “Women across the U.S. are risking their lives for black market procedures to make their buttocks bigger, often involving home-improvement materials such as silicone injected by people with no medical training…Whatever the reason, they are seeking cheaper alternatives to plastic surgery—sometimes with deadly or disfiguring results” (Huffington Post, August 5, 2013). Many women “toss caution aside when black market procedures are the only ones they can afford” (ibid.).

The world is a very hectic place. There are work schedules, school schedules, long commutes, after school activities, and play dates besides the routine activities of running a home. If we are not careful, we can “crash and burn” into the Sabbath and not get the full benefit that God intended. As the ladies of the house, we as wives and mothers can do a lot to help our families enjoy the Sabbath the way God intended.

While perusing some family photos recently, I came across the picture of a childhood friend. The photo reminded me of a wonderful carefree summer and of a profound childhood lesson.