My Valentine

February 14, 2016

February has no favorites. It has not the Christmas anticipation of December, the New Year's fresh start of January, nor the faint spring hope of March. February is cold and snow, with lengthening days, to be sure, but still locked in the icy grip of winter. If that weren't enough, this year February marks the beginning of what will be nine months of presidential campaigning. It's enough to make one weep. But February also has Valentine's Day.

Linda and I are pretty good about verbally expressing our love, and do quite well with acts of kindness, gifts, touch, and spending time together. We're pretty fluent in all five of Chapman's languages of love, but special occasions in which to express our commitment to and appreciation of each other are still both welcome and helpful. We've learned that it is impossible to say it or demonstrate it too much. It's like money in the bank. Occasionally we have to make withdrawals from our love account. We are human like anyone else, and in spite of our best efforts we have times when we unintentionally hurt each other, and still others when in our inherent selfishness we deliberately choose selfishness. We want to be sure we have enough deposits to cover those withdrawals, so we daily choose to be polite. We say, "please" and "thank you;" we don't worry about whose job it is to do the laundry, fold the clothes, do the dishes. Having our home be a place we both want to "come home to" is important to us. We work at making it a place of peace and comfort. We make the bed each morning so it is a place we want to share at night.

And yet with all that, it's good to have those occasional special occasions to remind us that life is short and the opportunities to express love will not always remain. It's best do do it now, so we do. I am thankful tonight for the woman God brought into my life so many years ago. We were young then, dreaming of growing old together. And today, we have done it. God willing, we will be given the privilege of doing it for many years to come. Happy Valentine's Day, Linda. You warm my Februaries with your love.