Chapter 3

Wherein Asterisk and Meme discuss the Youth activity that they both attended the night before and Asterisk decides that her wardrobe needs a few adjustments.

Meme:  How did you like the activity last night?

Asterisk: Well...

Meme: What do you mean, "Well"?  Well, what???

Asterisk: The kids seemed pretty nice...but I did feel a little overwhelmed. There was a lot going on, and the other team was so determined to win.  I was also a little embarrassed.

Meme:  Yeah, sometimes the boys can be a little loud - and competitive.  Why were you embarrassed?

Asterisk: I didn't feel comfortable with what I was wearing.

Meme: Why?

Asterisk: During the activity I read a little more in that booklet you gave me.

Meme: The For The Strength of Youth booklet?

Asterisk: Yeah, that one. I wanted to finish up the section that talked about tattoos and stuff.

Meme: The "Dress and Appearance" section?

Asterisk: yeah.

Asterisk: Near the end of that section there's a question.  It said  "Would I feel comfortable with my appearance if I were in the Lord's presence?"...and I realized that I wouldn't.  I haven't ever given much thought to modesty before...I have always picked out clothes based on how cute I think I look in them. There were some pretty specific instructions? guidelines? suggestions?...well, whatever they were, in that book, and they were things I hadn't ever really considered.

Meme: Such as?

Asterisk: I know that you know the guidelines - I've seen the way you dress.  Your dresses are a lot longer than mine, you never wear shirts that are too short...or too low...or sleeveless...stuff like that.  What I hadn't considered was why you did it.

Meme: Why do you think I dress the way I do?

Asterisk:  Well, the booklet said that you do it to show you know how precious your body is and that you also dress modestly to show that you follow Jesus Christ.  Isn't that why?

Meme: I'd like to say that I think that way all the time, but frankly most of my dressing habits are simply that, habits...but, yeah, I think that deep down, the reason that I'm careful about what I wear is that I don't want to disappoint the Lord by wearing clothes that make me look cheap or trashy in some way.

Asterisk: You see my problem here...this is the longest skirt I own!

Meme:  I've seen you wear longer stuff.

Asterisk: Sure, I have a few dresses that are longer...but they are all sleeveless or strapless.

Meme: What would you think about making a skirt?  

Asterisk: I'm not very good at sewing. In fact, I've never made anything harder than a scrunchie before.

Meme: We could pick a simple pattern to start with - I think I might have one or two that we could look at...and besides, my mom has a ton of fabric.  I'll bet she would let us have some if we asked nicely...and volunteered to babysit or do some weeding in the garden.