MEET THE WOMAN PROVERBS TALKS ABOUT. MY MOM.

My mother doesn’t seem to get half the credit she deserves. Being from a family of six girls, we all tend to lean on our father for everything. Mom ends up getting the short end of the stick.

But the old saying is true, "Behind every good man is a good woman." If it wasn’t for my mother, we probably would never look up to my father the way we do.

Growing up, my dad was an alcoholic. He was the "fun" one, the one who played with us and told us stories.

Mom was the serious one. The one who sewed our clothes, took care of us when we were sick, baked bread from scratch, planted gardens to keep us in food, and did extra jobs on the sideline to make sure we had enough money for things. But did we appreciate those things - No. We liked playing with our dad. He was funny and he was one of us.

Did we care that she had to put up with an alcoholic husband? Of course not. We just thought she was too bossy and strict.

Meanwhile on the sidelines, she was teaching us daily. She taught us how to love one another and care for each other. She taught us the value of saving and spending wisely. She taught us the value of helping out others. Even as needy as we were, she taught us that there was always someone out there that was more needy than we were.

She opened our home to relatives that needed a place to stay and never complained about it. She would feed them from the little we had and yet we felt like we were queens with the feasts she would prepare from scratch. She still makes her own bread and buns and they are to "die" for.

She clothed us from hand me downs as well as from little dresses she would make by hand. Not knowing how to use a pattern, she would design them herself and make us all matching dresses. Even now that we are all grown up, she knits blankets and sweaters for us and little outfits for the grandkids.

Many times she wanted to leave my father but because of us, she stayed. They have now been married and together for 56 years. A great example that we all plan to follow.

She was the first one to find Jesus as her Saviour and led each one of us to his knee, so that we could get to know him as well.

My father also came to know Jesus as his saviour and was delivered from Alcohol. He became a different man, more of the man that God intended him to be and the husband my mother deserves.

Because we are girls, we still tend to look to my father for everything. Yet deep in our hearts we know that it was mom who taught us everything we know today. She kept us all together and today we are a very close knit family.

She has brought honour to our family in many ways. My father is a respected member of his church and community. Why, because she thought little of herself and only cared about taking care of her family. She may have stood on the sidelines but she was the greatest coach.

My mother IS the woman that Proverbs 31:10-31 talks about.

"A truly good wife is the most precious treasure a man can find! Her husband depends on her, and she never lets him down. She is good to him every day of her life, and with her own hands she gladly makes clothes. She is like a sailing ship that brings food from across the sea.
She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family and for her servants. She knows how to buy land and how to plant a vineyard, and she always works hard. She knows when to buy or sell, and she stays busy until late at night. She spins her own cloth, and she helps the poor and the needy. Her family has warm clothing, and so she doesn't worry when it snows. She does her own sewing, and everything she wears is beautiful. Her husband is a well-known and respected leader in the city.
She makes clothes to sell to the shop owners. She is strong and graceful, as well as cheerful about the future. Her words are sensible, and her advice is thoughtful. She takes good care of her family and is never lazy. Her children praise her, and with great pride her husband says,
"There are many good women, but you are the best!" Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the LORD deserves to be praised. Show her respect-- praise her in public for what she has done."
CEV (Contemporary English Version)

Thanks for everything Mom. You are the greatest. I love you.