June 6, 2011

    It’s the sixth largest county – measured in people, not acres – in America; in California, it’s #3, behind Los Angeles and San Diego. There is no “big city” anchoring Orange County, but there is a Magic Kingdom. In my travels, the question, “Where’s home, for you?” has always been the county, not our map spot (Tustin Hills?); for most of my life, the qualifier was, “You know… Disneyland!”
    Then, 1994 hit. Tinkerbell and Mickey lost their prominence behind Robert Citron, the county treasurer whose misdeeds in money management led to the largest municipal bankruptcy, ever (stay tuned; that record may fall, soon…). Orange County lost some luster, as our assets got kicked…
    We went from bad to worse, in March of 2006. As the country’s opulence orgy climbed to new heights – fueled by speculation and unserviceable mortgage debt – my hometown county got a face transplant. The public servants who exposed our financial deficiency went into history’s waste bin, and the Real Housewives of Orange County exposed our moral deficiency.

    They’ve just completed their sixth season on Bravo, and they’ve birthed spin-offs from New Jersey to Beverly Hills. It’s “reality TV” at its worst, with sex, drugs, divorce, face-lifts, and cosmetic surgeries characterizing what’s “real” in America, circa 2011. The sitcom moms of old – from Harriett Nelson to Shirley Partridge – would be appalled at the depiction of degradation that attracts enough viewers – and, advertisers – for renewals.
    Let me tell you about a real housewife from Orange County. She abandoned “freedom” 40 years ago, yesterday… and committed to spend the rest of her life with me, “for better or for worse.” I’ve exposed her to the worse a few times; she’s still holding out for the better, with hope that springs eternal! I’m sometimes sorry that we’re not Catholic, because Cheri would be a candidate for sainthood, if the truth ever got out…
    We were young; just barely legal for linking, in fact. Most would say, “No chance!” We didn’t know that the odds were against us, so we moved forward as if God was right when He designed marriage as the human model for the Lord Jesus and His Church.
    Solomon described the ideal woman, 3000 years ago: “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life… She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy… Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land… She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city     I know guys who can pick investments that prove to be winners… but my “pick” at 18 had more lifetime value than Google (IPO sold at $85/share; closed Friday at $523). Smart? A little. Lucky? No chance; that presumes no divine involvement. Blessed? Beyond measure.
    Thanks, Cheri, for 40 great years …and the promise of another 40. Thanks, God, for showing me – and, our family – that the “Proverbs 31 woman” isn’t an illusion; it’s what God calls “reality,” when He partners with a woman who wants to live the transformed life…
     
    Blessed beyond measure,
 
Bob Shank