The Love Post

I have a lot to say about love.

Valentines Day is a tricky little day, isn't it. To sum up, my Valentines Days have gone like so:

My first decade of Valentines Days were mainly spent watching Adrienne get smothered with stuffed bears, and pillows with sweet nothings like "I Heart You" or "Hug Me" stitched on them. If my memory serves, she actually had a whole drawer full of them by age 11. I kinda just sat there with my little boy hair cut, waiting for Matt Lohr to finally make his move, Ha ;)

In High School, I was pretty indifferent about Valentines Day. Sure, if I was with someone, things were all sunshine and lollipops, but if I wasn't- eh. Mom always gets me chocolate, right? I do have a hilarious diary entry on Valentines Day, 2004. It's an all out rant, really. Something along the lines of 'I'm already 15- where is he??' Haha. Ooooh my...

I can honestly say that this years Valentines Day has been one of my favorites yet. Feb 13th, my friend Noah surprised all of us girls at dinner with roses and cards that said "You are beautiful, fill-in-the-blank. Happy Valentines Day." Then he gave all the boys power bars, because "everyone deserves to feel special on Valentines Day." What a sweet heart. Emma, Danielle and I actually wrote his mother to tell her what an outstanding job she did raising her son :)

I spent Valentines Day with some friends in Manchester. A whole bunch of us went to see the Chinese New Year, which was great. Lots of crowds, but good food and a great cultural experience (check out facebook for photos). Emma and I ended up getting seperated from the group, and spent most of the day in a coffee shop discussing life and love. We kind of swapped life stories, which is something you should be doing, if you're not already. There is so much to gain from sharing, and even more to gain from listening. When I laid my head on my pillow that night, I felt so overwhelmed with gratitude for the love I have in my life, I got a little teary. To have a family that loves me, no matter what, is something I hope I never take for granted. To have friends who support me in the way mine do; to be able to make such strong relationships here in England- I am truly blessed. A love I am becoming more and more aware of is Christ's. I couldn't put a price on it. Not in dollars or even pounds ;)

In the end, our conversation left me with lots to think about, and this is what I make of it:

Love is the single most important thing in the whole wide world.
If you're not giving love, start.