In the book of Proverbs, King Lemuel recounts criteria for a virtuous woman. Not surprisingly, the virtues were originally defined by his mother.

With Mother's Day approaching, those virtues are on the minds of many as they honor the women in their lives.

Below is a sampling of just a few of Butler County's women who embody the virtues described in Proverbs.

<b>Dawn Scheboth</b> - While raising and homeschooling seven children, Dawn Scheboth of Gibsonia finds time to make the dresses and other clothing worn by her five daughters.Scheboth also passes the seamstress skills on, teaching the children to sew, knit, weave and spin wool in hopes that someday "they may be able to provide necessities for their families and for others.""When people ask how I have time to sew these clothes, I laughingly say, 'It is amazing what you can do between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.,'" she said.<BR></BR>

<b>Jennifer Mowery</b> - Jennifer Mowery's mornings are spent serving up breakfast to students at Center Avenue Elementary School. But food is not the most special ingredient for this mother of three."I enjoy working with children, they are exciting and usually unpredictable and I like that," explained Mowery of Butler."I really enjoy being a part of their path to the future. From their sweet smiles to their silly stories, it is rewarding to watch them learn and grow."<BR></BR>

<b>Kathy King</b> - Kathy King of Harvest Valley Farms in Valencia plants a different kind of seed on the farm she shares with her husband. The mother of three has been doing preschool tours on the farm for 20 years."By seeing how crops grow in the field they get firsthand knowledge about vegetables and a better understanding of them -hopefully they will go home more likely to try them," she added."Seeing kids happy and smiling, excited about touching the cow, or seeing all 100 baby chicks together, it's just great!"<BR></BR>

<b>Ruth Griffin</b> - As the community meal coordinator at First United Methodist Church in Butler, Ruth Griffin of Butler has facilitated the serving of approximately 2,000 meals this year."Community meal is our opportunity to provide a hot meal for those in need in the community," said Griffin, who has two children and five grandchildren."This is rewarding to me as I am able to share the time and talents God has given me with those less fortunate, which is what God calls us to do."<BR></BR>

<b>Marilyn Horan</b> - Marilyn Horan of Butler has served the area as a judge for eight years, balancing her work on the bench with her strong connection to family."My mother, now 94, has always been an incredibly strong woman. She instilled strong personal and spiritual values in us," said the parent of four, who shares her home with her notable mother."Every day I am most assured that I am serving where I am meant to serve."<BR></BR>

<b>Sister John Ann Mulhern</b> - While she has no children of her own, Sister John Ann Mulhern has probably received more hugs than most.The Butler Catholic School principal has devoted the past 45 years to meeting the needs of children."We need to train our young women to be strong, wise compassionate and truly satisfied with who they are, simply because God made them," she said. "We can train them by modeling wisdom and compassion to them."<BR></BR><BR></BR>

<b>Charlene Roth</b> - For Charlene Roth, "Happy Mother's Day" will be echoed nine times on Sunday."After our fourth child we really prayed about and studied the issue of the number of children to have," said Roth, whose four sons and five daughters range from 3 to 20 years old."God says children are a 'gift' and a 'reward' and that those who have a 'quiver full' are blessed," explained Roth.

<B><I>Proverbs 31:31 - Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.</B></i>