Love is in the Air

Well, it's that time of year again...Valentine's Day is upon us. I am not much for the day, really. I mean, do we need a special day set aside to show the one's we love that we love them? Maybe some do, I don't know. Do I steer clear of the day altogether? Of course not! I am all about the conversation hearts and the box of chocolates. Before you go rushing off to buy me some chocolate, though...DON'T! I don't want them from anyone but my "Honey". He always chooses the best, but hey...I didn't say don't rush off and buy a bag or two of conversation hearts, though. I need them! They get me through the wait in the car line (notice...one day the "wait in the car line" phrase may turn into the "weight" in the car line if I don't lay off the hearts...irregardless, I love them!). Ok...focus! I don't want to bash Valentine's though, because it does conjur up good thoughts for me, too. I think of things as returning to my first love...that would be the Lord Jesus for those of you who suddenly had a worry that I would go back to my first boyfriend, and NO...Jeff was not my only boyfriend, but I wish he was, and he's my only one now. I like it that way! Other thoughts that come to me is how I can be a better love for my "Honey." I want to love him with my whole heart. I strive each day to do that, only hoping that I can love him half as much as I know he loves me. I also think of my sweet girls. They challenge me, don't get me wrong, but they are the best parts of Jeff and me. I am amazed that God loved us so much that He entrusted their little lives to us. If only I can do them justice as a mom. They are truly my life's work. I also can't help but think of you, too. I love you! Did you get that? I LOVE YOU! I am in awe as I look around and see the volume of friends the Lord has blessed me with. Growing up, I had friends, but not so many. The ones I had, though, were deep friends, and they still are to this day. Growing up with a family in the ministry made it lonely at times, especially growing up so far away from my family here in the States, but God gave me an adopted family in my missionary "aunts" and "uncles", and for that I am truly grateful. As I have gotten older, I realize that all of the relationships I have now are just as deep as those few I had growing up. Each one contributes to making me a better me. I don't take friendship lightly. If you are my friend, you are my friend for life! I was just telling Jeff last night that it is remarkable to me that I have never had to tell a friend "adios" (that's 'goodbye' for you language challenged), except once in my life. A good while back I had to part ways with a friend I considered dear to me because the relationship no longer was edifying to be in, but that is always a sacrifice I am willing to make if it doesn't reflect Christ to me. I am, otherwise, so very blessed that the friends I make are the friends I keep for life. Am I just lucky? Nope, don't believe in it! Am I blessed? Yes, of course. Did it all come easy? Nope! Friendship takes work, effort and time. It is sharing life together through the thick and the thin, the good and the bad, the sad and the happy. It is spending time together...having fun, being serious, or just being! We need each other! If you are reading this and saying, "I am just fine without spending time with friends", please, stop kidding yourself. When you are with your friends you come back a better YOU - a better wife, a better mom, a better FRIEND! Don't forsake the relationships that God has entrusted to you. That includes your marriage, your relationship with your children, and the relationships with your friends. They are what shape us and grow us. They challenge us and mold us. Today, take a little time to let your friends know that you care. Tell them that you love them. For some of you, it may be a long overdue statement to make. Most of all, if you are feeling like no one loves you today...well, I DO and our Father does, too. That love is greatest of all!