The Value of Virtue and the Worth of Wisdom: $3 or Priceless?

One of my favorite antique shops is called "Antique Alley". It is one of those places that I can get lost in for hours, with both an upstairs and a basement filled with all sorts of vintage treasures. One day I was browsing in the basement, and I found this beautiful cross-stitch sampler that I knew I must have. The elegant alphabet letters were flanked on either side with vases of tulips, all surrounded by a lovely border, and below was this phrase: "may virtue all my steps attend and wisdom be my constant friend". I picked up the sampler and flipped it over to find the price, and what I found made me feel like crying. $3.00. All the time and effort someone had put into this piece, stitching such a meaningful phrase, and now it sat in a dusty basement corner, available for me to purchase for a mere $3.00. What a sad commentary of the things that are no longer valued today.
Dictionary.com defines virtue as "1. moral excellence; goodness; righteousness. 2. conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude." In the Bible, Proverbs 31 tells us all about the virtuous woman. She is a successful, happy, industrious woman, and her husband and her children love and praise her. Virtue is something to strive for! Wisdom is defined as "the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight". Wisdom is definitely something we could all use a little of! Virtue and wisdom should be foremost in our minds when considering our actions. This phrase should be one to live by, not hidden away in a basement somewhere in Delaware.
This sampler now hangs on my bedroom wall, right by the door. Every time I glance at it as I walk through that door, the phrase makes its way into my heart and life a little bit more. "May virtue all my steps attend and wisdom be my constant friend". I imagine the loving hands that stitched this little phrase, carefully working for hours, crafting a work of art for someone special. Was it made for a young bride perhaps? Or maybe for a sister, mother, grandmother, or dear friend? I will never know who it was for or how it ended up where it did. But now I have discovered it. And to me, it is not worth $3.00. It is priceless.