Real-ationships

Valentine's Day....this funny little holiday. I used to despise it back when boys were a "problem" ;-). From what I understand, St. Valentine was martyred and I wonder how in the world celebrating an amazing man got turned into a day to celebrate romantic love and I don't really feel like combing through wikipedia to figure it out :-). I feel bad that I don't even really know - maybe I should. All I know is that celebrating Valentine's Day here in our house is always a little half-hearted. No giant roses here, no huge box of chocolates (maybe a small one), no big dates - is that wrong? Have we messed up? I love hearing the great date stories, the great opportunities for couples to do something special for each other, but I wonder if it really matters. Does John love me more or less if he shows up with roses? Do I love John more or less if I set up a quiet romantic evening for us? (Don't worry, I'm not getting cynical here, I will make a point I promise. )

In our house, we have REAL-ationships. We don't always love each other the way we should or even the way we want to. The two little girls in this house definitely have a love/hate relationship when it comes to their toys....but when it comes to being together - they LOVE each other tremendously! That gives me great joy!






















As for John and I -well, we do our best. We love each other and are deeply committed to having a great marriage and a healthy family. Today, John treated me to a few minutes to myself: I got to take a bubble bath and an uninterupted nap - THE BEST GIFT any mother could ever ask for. In this small gesture, John showed that he valued me and I feel very loved today. I only hope that is the way I make him feel - I want to love him and value him. I want to be a soft place for him to land and create a house full of love that makes him proud - I hope he always knows that.


We may not be the best at the typical Valentine's routine - but we are the best at doing life together!! ( here's blast from our past - Las Vegas 2004)



The real-ationship we are striving to get better at each day is our REAL-ationship to our Savior. He has been our real shelter, our real companion, our real helper - our true love! Our hope is that the best relationship that our children will ever have is the only one that really matters - a real-ationship with their Heavenly Father. Psalm 90:1 says, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place, throughout all generations." This day, I lift my eyes upward, feeling very loved, thinking of a song I heard in high school (shared in the you tube clip below). Thank you Lord for being our shelter, our sanctuary.....through every generation.