'The fragrance of a gentle life

The fragrance of a gentle life

Once in crossing a meadow, I came to a spot that was filled with fragrance. Yet I could see no flowers, and I wondered from whence the fragrance came. At last I found, low down, close to the ground, hidden by the tall grass, innumerable little flowers. It was from these little flowers, that the fragrance came.

In the same way, when I enter some homes, there is a rich perfume of love which pervades all the place. It may be a home of wealth and luxury — or it may be plain and bare. It does not matter; it is not the house, nor the furniture, nor the adornment which makes this air of sweetness. I look closely.

It is a gentle woman, mother or daughter, quiet, hiding self away, from whose life the fragrance flows. There is a wondrous charm in a gentle spirit.

The gentle girl in a home may not be beautiful, may not be well-educated, may not be musical or an artist or "clever" in any way; but wherever she moves, she leaves a blessing. Her sweet patience is never disturbed by the sharp words which fall about her. The children love her because she never tires of them.

She helps them with their lessons, listens to their frets and worries, mends their broken toys, makes doll dresses, straightens out the tangles, settles their little quarrels, and finds time to play with them. When there is sickness in the home, she is the angel of comfort. Her face is always bright with the outshining of love.

Her voice has music in it, as it falls in cheerful tenderness on the sufferer's ear. Her hands are wondrously gentle, as their soothing touch rests on the aching head, or as they minister in countless ways about the bed of pain.

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." 1 Peter 3:3-4

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