Gordon and Jeanette ... the in-laws ... make their way across Alligator Alley tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with us. They have been in Ft. Myers for several weeks and are heading back to Indiana on Friday.
I can't relate to people who have "mother-in-law problems." (Sorry to brag.) Not only do I not have problems with Jeanette, but she is one of the women in my life I most want to emulate.
When Peter talks about the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit (I Peter 3:4), he's describing Jeanette. She is downright pretty. Oh, she's definitely pretty on the outside with barely a wrinkle on her face. (Daria and Kim, you're lucky to have those good genes!) But she also epitomizes the inward beauty that is "great worth in God's sight."
The gentleness is outwardly displayed through the sweet way she speaks, her inability to say anything mean about any person, and the tireless way she plays with her grandchildren. (Ask her to tell you a Jeter and Peezer story sometime. She has an endless supply.)
But the quiet shows through a steadiness in her spirit. Jeanette is very anchored in her faith ... steady and unrattled.
So I watch Jeanette and learn from her example ... reading through the Bible every year, supporting her man through decades of ministry, not gloating when victorious at the euchre table ... and pray for a gentle and quiet spirit.
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