I had a tough week with some very unexpected crises and was emotionally drained.  Back on Sunday, five of our friends had offered to come over last night to help babysit our children in order for Evers and I to go on a date.  Yes, it takes five adults to watch our four energetic kids. While the fabulous five held down the fort in our house, Evers and I had a very nice and uninterrupted dinner at a local restaurant.

Knowing how I was feeling in the aftermath of this week, he came up with a “personalized” version of the Proverbs 31 passage about “an excellent wife” and dedicated it to me. I was so touched that I declared that his poem was blog-worthy material. Some of the material is from Proverbs 31, and a bunch of it is “contextualized” to reflect how my husband sees me. So, for the whole world to see, here it is:

The Proverbs 31 Woman

An excellent wife, who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.

The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life;

She sews clothes for her children,
and even for their stuffed bears.

She is like the trucks of the merchant;
even though she mostly buys her food from
Costco and Chinese markets.

She rises while it is yet night
and dedicates herself to reading and
praying through God’s word;
even as she anticipates preparing food for her household.

She goes out for early walks
and hides in her bathroom to exercise;
even though her husband thinks she’s beautiful,
regardless of a few extra pounds!

She considers a blog post and publishes it;
and thus blesses many others who are walking or will walk similar paths.

She cooks all sorts of cuisine with flair,
especially when there are guests (one of the joys of hospitality)!

Her children are well-dressed;
not in sweatpants and mismatched “Engrish” shirts.

Her husband is well-dressed too,
thanks to her occasional gifts of shirts and ties, even the ‘metro’ ones.

She perseveres through often thankless days,
changing diapers, wet underwear, and dirty clothes;
disciplining, instructing, comforting and loving her adorable children.

She occasionally bathes her children too –
but they’re cute even if they get a bit smelly.

She opens her mouth with wisdom far beyond her age,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up (too early) and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her (though not often enough):

“Many women have done excellently,
but you, Lois, surpass them all.”

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but Lois, who fears the Lord, is to be praised.