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A gift to you – this song gives me goosebumps every time I hear it and every time I sing it. Something special happens when you give voice to this song. I’m assuming you’ve heard of Darlene Zschech but if not, here is your introduction to her. Enjoy!

That’s what I used to be told when I was young.  I guess I was always a dreamer and I know I was definitely a loner.  Being on my own for hours on end never bothered me.  I entertained myself with books and with my writing – I was always writing, even as a young child.  And my dreams would take me to places that I could only dream about.

My parents did not have a lot of money and with 4 children in the space of just over 5 years and only one income in the household, it meant that we did not get to travel much and only in our own state.  We never went without, don’t get me wrong. Our home was filled with love, we were always fed and well clothed.  Mum sewed and cooked and kept house and did everything a mother should do. She was always home for us kids and we never came home to an empty house.

However I remember things that were said at school, at friend’s places, and in our home that made me feel I shouldn’t be hoping, or dreaming, or expecting for bigger or better things in my life. That I shouldn’t get my hopes up.  And I found as I got older that I was the one in control of my own life, my hopes and plans and dreams. I kept reading books that would fill my mind with what could be and I determined to learn more and more.  My grandmother told me when I was aged 14 ‘the day I stop learning is the day I die’ and I determined I would always keep learning.

Verse 26 tells us ‘She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue’ and I want to encourage you to think about what you say to and around your children. Do your words and actions tell them not to get their hopes up? Perhaps it’s not even your own children but kids who hang around where you are on a regular basis.  You can’t take back words you speak and it’s so easy to say something in jest but for it to be taken to heart in someone else.

I don’t know who it was that told me ‘don’t get your hopes up’ but I can tell you I carried that phrase with me for almost 30 years.  And it was only because of a very kind couple who took my husband and I under their wings, and fed us with motivational tapes and books, and took us to listen to people who had fascinating stories to tell, that my hopes did rise and that I learned I could take action and make something of my life.  That is was up to me and it had nothing to do with how I grew up, my own personal circumstances, or how rich or poor I might be.  It had to do with how I responded to things and the decisions I made. And I learnt not to tell my own children ‘don’t get your hopes up’.  Instead I encouraged them and shared with them, and told them to go for their dreams and you know what? They are!

hopes, dreams, don’t get your hopes up, wisdom, instruction, Proverbs 31:26

She makes coverings for her bed… Proverbs 31:22

I hate a messy bedroom, don’t you?  For me it probably dates back to when I was 16 years of age.  I was engaged to a boy of 18 and his mother had lent me a book about looking after the marital home.  I know we were very young in those days but there had been a good reason.  He was dying of cancer and being his fiance meant I was allowed into the hospital to visit him at any time.  So his and my parents consented to our engagement. I was probably too young to realise at the time that we would never marry but I did read the book and took seriously what was written and still apply many of those things today.

I love our bedroom to look inviting and not messy.  For sometime I was tiring of the way it looked and wanted to dress it up somewhat. I’d found some great bed coverings and stored them away in hiding.  And then one day my eldest daughter helped me measure and shop for new curtains and then we hung them and made up the bed together. I couldn’t wait for Graham to get home that night to see our new look bedroom. It looked like something from one of those beautiful B&B places and I was thrilled with the result.  So was he as he had no idea of the surprise I’d planned for him and he’d been thinking our room looked small and tired but hadn’t said anything – he hadn’t wanted to upset me.  The new colours and decor now make the room look fresh and larger somehow.  He certainly made sure I knew he appreciated how much I cared about the room that cemented our marriage.  Graham’s always been good like that – he makes sure I know his appreciation and love for me.

Many years ago I saw the bedroom of a couple I knew and it was cluttered with mess – clothing, newspapers, books and all sorts of things everywhere, even on the bed.  I remember thinking what they would have to go through just to climb into bed each night.  What would happen to the spontaneity of love-making in that household?  Perhaps it never happened. I knew this wasn’t a once-only situation but something that was constant in their household.  I don’t believe for a moment that this was the only problem in their marriage and the cause for their breakdown later on in years but I do feel that perhaps their bedroom wasn’t valued by either of them and this wouldn’t have helped their situation. Somehow I feel that the care taken in a marital bedroom spills over to the care taken in that marriage and both husband and wife benefit from that effort.  What do you think?

I firmly believe it is the wife’s role to make the home a place the husband wants to come home to daily.  We hear so much of marital problems, husbands staying at work long hours or other things interfering with their marriage. I’ve always wanted to make sure that Graham loves coming home and I know he does – he’s told me often. I know it is true many women work away from home today and the housework might be lacking, but the bedroom should still be their private domain and one that is always inviting.  If the husband is one that is home more then perhaps this is something he could be caring for.  The bedroom of a married couple is one that should be sanctified, set apart, kept special and always inviting.  After all it is within the walls of this room that marriages are nurtured and celebrated and it should be in an environment that is pleasing.

As an Addendum I found a post on how to make your bedroom sexy with romantic decor. This advice isn’t just for young couples – it’s for everyone!

If you’ve not heard of it before, then it’s a Christian Women’s Radio Show you need to be aware of.  People from all over the world now have the opportunity to set up their own radio show at BlogTalkRadio and interview people of interest to their growing audiences.

Welcome to those who have come here from that interview too – it’s lovely to have you here.

I had the wonderful privilege of speaking today on We Love Girl Talk which is a  Christian Women’s Radio Show.  Sandra and Sarah, the show’s hosts were wonderful and made me feel totally at home!  I don’t know where the time went but the three of us had a lovely time chatting on their show and I hope the listeners enjoyed listening to us as much too.
They are trying to build up their ratings for the show as the BlogTalkRadio features shows on their front page so why not pop by and give them a rating!  They have a number of interviews available there.