They say when a memory is retold, it changes. Between the rust and diamonds of life, I found a pearl: the power of love that produces the memory does not change.
From 2006:
This post, like me, is a work-in-progress. Over the past few days, I have been exposed to the “rust and diamonds” of life, to quote a once popular folksinger. Isaac made another glistening handprint, this time on the window of my soul.
Proverbs 31:28 Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied), and her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying] 29 Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all. Amplified Bible
Throughout this chapter of Proverbs, the “virtuous woman” is defined by her character and capabilities. Her children call her ”blessed”; her husband calls her daughter of virtue. The footnote in the Amplified Bible explains that she has done more than Miriam, ”who led a nation of women to praise God,” more than Deborah, the judge, or Ruth, “the woman of constancy,” more than Hannah, the ideal mother, and the hospitable Shunammite woman, or Huldah, “the woman who revealed God’s secret message to national leaders,” and “even more than Queen Esther who risked sacrificing her life for her people.”
First and foremost, the virtuous wife and mother is a daughter of God, and His daughter is a virtuous wife and mother.
Proverbs 31:11 The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of [honest] gain or need of [dishonest] spoil. 12 She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her. Amplified Bible