Negebah

"So, Rachel what did you learn from the rally?"
I looked at her from my rear-view mirror.
Highway 30 was relatively empty for a Saturday night.

The youth knew I would be asking each and every one of them this question.
They had given up a Saturday and I wanted to make sure they would carry one piece of wisdom with them for the rest of their life.

"Negebah... the Hebrew word for woman... it means open... and that is who we are..."
Rachel's voice trailed off softly.
They had divided us into two groups, guys and gals, and given us individual talks.

"Negebah.... the Hebrew word for woman... even the sound of the word sounds womanly."
Stephanie Balser, our girls-only speaker, declared emphatically.
"Bà... of course, it's like Vietnamese," I whispered mischievously to my neighbor.

"Negebah... it also means a multi-faceted gem... like the one on my hand!"
Stephanie continued, flashing her diamond engagement ring proudly.

Multi-faceted.
Not complicated.

Few realize the value of a diamond is not just dependent on its weight (carat).
Color, clarity, and cut matters too.
Cuts or facets allows the brilliance of the diamond to shine through.
Being the hardest substance known to humans, it takes a diamond to cut a diamond.

Who was the Woman who allowed the Light of the world to shine through her?
No one would say she is complicated.
Yet, so multi-faceted, she has over 100 titles.

Mystical rose.
Tower of ivory.
Mother of Christ.
Mirror of justice.
Queen of martyrs.

Mary.
Negebah.
So open, she allowed God into her life and brought Life to the world.

photo credit: http://www.jewelrybloguncovered.com/birthstones_gemstones/april-birthstone-diamond/

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