Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).

Pretty faces are a dime a dozen, while beauty is rare.  Her meekness makes her beautiful.
Yes, her soft blue eyes, milky complexion, and delicately angular face will make any man look twice.  Then again, her modesty and preference to listen rather than talk may lose the attention of some.  But discerning people see clues that the pretty frame emanates from a beautiful heart.

So I looked a third time more closely.  I found that her listening nurtured deep insight into people, not an insight guided by cynicism but by love, by faith that everyone carries gifts and virtues to celebrate.  When necessary, she can detect reasons to keep her distance from some – she can see dark motives, too, like every beautiful woman must – but she has a way of finding that imprint of God’s loving touch in everyone she meets.  She loves to talk about the goodness she discovers in others.

Paul blessed the Philippians, “May your love overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight, to help you discern what is best” (Philippians 1:9-10a).  Somehow the blessing lasted through the eons and drifted into the heart of my beloved.

What could I do but fall in love with her?  She is Loveliness Herself.  According to Webster’s Universal Unabridged Dictionary, “lovely,” means, “having those qualities that inspire love, affection, or admiration; specifically, (a) beautiful; exquisite; (b) morally or spiritually attractive; gracious.”   A talented professional musician, teacher to pupils from toddlers to Ph.D.’s, patient friend to everyone who needs a listening ear, single mother who never raises her voice to her three wonderful children, and of course, simply gorgeous, she’s got loveliness nailed.  It’s (b) that intrigues me most.  Nobody exceeds her in honesty and goodwill.  She makes integrity sexy.

Extracting meekness out of her would be the mother of all Jekyll and Hyde acts.  No one would recognize her.  I cannot imagine her beauty without it.  Hollywood and Madison Avenue constantly flash images of aesthetically pleasing women and men seeking our attention, the big bucks, or an empire to call their own, and that is the opposite of meekness.  It doesn’t take much attention to make my beloved squirm.  This post is probably killing her.

So I will mercifully end it.  Of course, I torment her daily with reminders of her beauty.  She’s learning to take it.  But the meekness remains rock solid.
Her name is Wanda Cantrell, and if I may, I’d like a brief word with her: Happy birthday, darling.  Blessed are you.  You deserve the world.  The best I can do is give you my heart, the one you are holding.  God will take care of the rest.

This post was published back in 2014 when we were dating. See below for some later elaborations.

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