MY MOST VALUABLE NECKLACE

Pearls? No.

Gold? No.

Diamonds? Again-no.

An heirloom from my husband's family that he gave me one magical Christmas? uh.... that one was quite far-fetched and imaginative, but no.

So what is my favorite necklace?

Proverbs 1:8 (CEV)

"My child, obey the teaching of your parents and wear their teachings as you would a lovely hat or a pretty necklace."

This was the Scripture that the kids and I read this morning. We are going through the whole book of Proverbs (for the 2nd time), reading 4-5-6 verses at a time, talking through them, and journaling how they apply to where we are now.

This one hit me particularly hard this morning.

I put the date next to each "section" as we read it, and the last time we went over this one was just a little bit before my mother went Home. Little did I know how much I would appreciate it the next time I took it to heart. Somehow it means more this time. And, it reminds me that I simply CANNOT take the time I have with my kids for granted and be slack in training them.

So, as I was thinking about my necklace, many different "jewels" caught my eye.

It took many years for my Mama and Daddy to make my necklace and each part of it is intricate, detailed, and crafted with pride.

LOVE FOR OTHERS - This was a quality that I saw each and everyday in my mom. She ALWAYS put others before herself, even when it caused her more work or pain.

HARD WORK - Following both my parent's example, we learned not to be afraid to get dirty, that being tired meant that you had done something, and we didn't quit til the job was done.

DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME - Oh wow. How many times did I have to wash the whole sink of dishes over because ONE had a microscopic piece of ham stuck to it? Or how many times did I have to pick the whole wheelbarrow of sticks up again because I conveniently left 2 twigs under some leaves? I learned really quick that if I just did it right the first time, I could have saved myself some time, effort, and irritated feelings.

DON'T SAVE THE GOOD STUFF FOR "LATER" - "later" may not ever come. My Mama used to have 2-3 cabinets that were full of beautiful heirloom dishes. She had a whole drawer full of beautiful jewelry that my Daddy had given her. She never got those dishes out that I can remember. And the jewelry? You might see it in a professional portrait, but she never wore it out somewhere. "Good stuff" might even be considered playtime with the kids, a walk by the lake, or even laying in the kitchen floor doubled over with laughter. Before she died, Mama told me not to save the good stuff. Use it!!! It will be a blessing to others and make you smile. Afterall, her "later" has come and gone.

TRUST YOUR DADDY - "Abba, Father". That's what God wants us to call Him. Abba, translated literally, is "Daddy". My relationship with my earthly Daddy is personal, trusting, and not at all formal. I know that I can come to him with anything or any need, even now as a grown woman. I can remember climbing the apple tree in the back yard as a little girl. With the exception of the one time he was in the tree and we raced to get down (remember that, Daddy?), I always knew he would catch me. He would stand at the bottom with his arms out and say, "Jump, Michelle. I'll catch you." And did he? Of course. How much more so will our Abba, Father catch us? protect us? give us good gifts? We just have to TRUST Him.

There are so many other beautiful gems on my necklace. But, these are just a few of the prettiest ones to me. Thanks, Daddy for helping Mama string my necklace. By the way, if you didn't know it.... Barry loves to see me wear my necklace and I'm thinking about taking a few of those beads off to put on my own kids' necklaces.