A Jewell of the First Water

 Proverbs 31:10-31

The Wife of Noble Character

^10 [a]A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

I always called Jewell Faye Glover “Mrs. Glover.” That’s what we did when I was a kid. And it stuck, despite the fact that I found myself affectionately calling the mothers of other friends “Miss Nancy” or “Miss Jeanette.” I loved all the mothers who helped raise me and surely Mrs. Glover was one of those, but there was something about her that I recognized, even in my bedraggled Girl Scout Days, that set her apart. Mrs. Glover was what novels call a “jewel of the first water, meaning she was extraordinarily fine and I knew it from the start.

Mrs. Glover embodied the Wife of Noble Character in Proverbs 31. I can attest to that because, in several periods of my life, I had a chance to be a firsthand witness of her life. A witness of her witness.

The first was when I was a friend of Jill’s, whom I met at school and got to know more as we grew: through Girl Scouts and church activities and trips to the State Fair and Camp Caswell. Jill was a year younger than me and we became fast friends at the end of middle school and the beginning of high school. It was during this time that each of us often visited the home of the other.

Visiting the Glover home was a bit of a thrill for me. My own sister, 9 years older than me, went to nursing school when I was 9, so I often felt like an only child. But in the Glover home, there were five children! It was hard for me to wrap my head around. And two of those were brothers! I longed for brothers!

Someone looking in might imagine a house with five children – TEENAGERS – as chaotic. It was anything but with Mrs. Glover at the helm. She saw that the home was beautiful, inviting, and dare I say – serene. A miracle! I remember once when sitting down to a chicken dinner, I looked around the table at all the siblings and wondered “Hmmm, are they going to fight over who gets the breast?” I was surprised and amused to see the only arguments that ensued were over who got the wings. WINGS! How teenagers could overlook the breast, shortleg – the good parts – and argue over the paltry wings was a miracle in itself! No-one fought over the good parts – instead leaving them for others.

But that was how Mrs. Glover saw the world, she never overlooked anything or anybody and always put others before herself. She saw through my braces, wire rimmed glasses, pimples, extra pounds to see the real me, long before others did. She extended such love and grace to me that I always felt so cherished in her presence. I remember her voice from those long ago days as mellifluous and enveloping as her warm embrace. She always had time for “Miss Jackie.”  She saw her own children that way too, each important, each different, each unique and lovable in their own way. Jill was a bit of a spitfire and yet her mother sought to make her feel loved, nurtured and validated, despite Jill’s wont for teenaged turmoil. And I believe this allowed Jill to fell free to be herself and to express herself, because she knew she was loved. Always. What gift is more precious?

In addition to modeling how to be an extraordinary mother, she modeled how to be an extraordinary wife. Her love for Mr. Glover was a palpable thing and their relationship was the heart of the family. Their casual affection felt so intimate and true that more than once I blushed and turned away rather than intrude on a private moment.

The second period of my life when I drew close to the Glover family was when Jill was in an automobile accident and spent  much time at UNC hospital. I lived near campus and often visited with Jill and the family.  Mrs. Glover exhibited her usual strength, faith, and love during all of those visits. I believe she never forgot that Jill was God’s child and as well as her own. That regardless of Jill’s physical condition she was on the path to Heaven.

Mary Frances Draper and  Jewell Faye Glover

I also have memories of visiting Jill in the nursing home some months later. I met Mrs. Glover in town and we went in together. The whole place lit up when she walked in the door. She called everyone by name – staff and residents and inquired over each. She was a witness that day and everyday, whether in her faithful presence by Jill’s side, in her support of her church, in her marriage, in her life as a mother, in carrying Bibles to Russia, in visiting my family in the hospital days before my own father’s death. In so many ways! And that is why the mourners at her funeral were so numerous they spilled out the door of the sanctuary and the fellowship hall. Because so many people felt her unconditional love. 

Mrs. Glover surely had the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness. And she brought up her children, and her grandchildren to live and love God as she did. What a blessing for them! What a blessing for us all! 

Rest in blessed peace, Mrs. Glover. And please, give Jill a hug for me. 

Jill and I