Oh gosh, I love Valentine’s Day. And I know it’s ancient history by now, but I love to reflect on the power of love. What that love does to fill up life with meaning and goodness.
I’m a big believer that Valentine’s Day is first and foremost for Valentines. And this one has been mine for THIRTY YEARS.
Love him forever.
And ever.
But also I believe Valentine’s Day is just about LOVE, you know?
I mean I think of the people who have cradled Claire in love through thick and thin for eighteen months. The ones who have built her and taught her and pulled her up when she was low. Friends she’s teaching as well as companions and leaders.
The ones who have given her their hearts, and the ones she has wept about because she’s given her heart to them too. There’s something that does to your heart when you turn it outwards. It’s powerful.
Man! LOVE!
I think about the love and beauty of these guys, including the one behind the camera (love you Abby!):
I don’t have pics of Elle and Carson and Grace but man alive, I think about each of them and my heart turns to mush.
I think about how this dear friend of mine is also Lucy’s dear friend and they have a standing “date” every week.
I mean, what kind of person carves out space like that to make life so special for someone else? Someone who loves and turns their heart out. More mushy heart.
On Valentine’s Day Lucy got a couple drop-offs at the front door:
Her leaders from church and then just an anonymous jar of flowers. I mean…
We found out later that the flowers were from a small group of boys who went and dropped off anonymous flowers to like 15 girls. HOW NICE IS THAT??
Reminds me that the little things are the big things. We have so much power in the things we do. It doesn’t even have to be things like this, it makes a difference when we say HI! to someone new and look them in the eye. It makes a difference when we say thank you. Put away our phones. Say, “you go first.”
It all matters.
It’s all love.
And, as my Grandpa said all those years ago before he passed away, “If a person practices love, then everything else takes care of itself.”
It is so true.
I also have to say, I love my friend who gave me the idea to “heart-attack” our kitchen around Valentine’s Day about twenty years ago. It is still going strong. Love having all that love (we write what we love about each other on the hearts) filling up our house during February.
Valentine’s Day this year
Gosh, now that my eyes are just welling right up, let’s talk about how Valentine’s Day went down this year.
I love that Lucy gets so hyped about Valentine’s Day. She is a tradition girl at heart and when she saw me starting to set up things for our traditional valentine breakfast she hugged me and said, “I love you mom!” with a deep sigh of gratitude.
It’s the simple things for this girl. The hearts on the door:
The heart-shaped pancakes made lovingly by Dave:
The cup with candy (that Dave and I lucked out late the night before because our friends we were with happened to have some when all the stores were closed!…love again).
Dave and I got to have a super simple sushi-and-tulip lunch date:
Lucy’s voice was full of life calling me between classes at school.
Love Creates Love
When love is dished out, it actually CREATES MORE LOVE.
Because Lucy felt so loved that she wanted to spill out more love for others. So she texted and called all her siblings and friends.
We whipped up some hearts to go “heart-attack” some doors:
We also dropped off some cookies to some extra people we love.
Of course Dave got a few hearts too.
Dave and I had a Valentine party that night. So Lucy took it upon herself to gather friends to make our traditional heart-shaped pizzas.
Oh I love these girls so much! And my little BEST host Lucy.
Meanwhile, Dave and I headed to our glamorous party. For real:
This friend knows how to throw parties I tell you!
It was so fancy, the best food, red carpet, dancing, a live band. Yow!!
From there Dave and I went to grab Lucy’s cousin Lyla from the airport…who came to join her dance group for MORP the next night (more on that soon).
It was a grand reunion. And she got to catch the last of Lucy’s friends who were there.
And that’s a wrap of “Love Day” for this year.
It was a good one. And such a good reminder that love makes all the difference.
Sending so much love on out this Tuesday morning!!
XOXO
