A Different Kind of Valentine's Day

Maybe we are getting old (after all, the Rev. did just turn 40), or maybe, just maybe, the inhabitants of the Prairie Parsonage are becoming content.

Back in the day, when I used a can of Aqua Net on my hair and I rolled my jeans, I imagined holidays like Valentine's Day as romantic dinners in Paris where I would be surprised with something diamond.  20 plus years, two kids and 1.5 seminary degrees later, I know the reality.  The reality is that not EVERY holiday is so glamorous and the reality is, I wouldn't want it that way.

Last weekend, as the Rev. and I were discussing what we should do on this Day of Love, we decided to stay home.  Without a sitter.  Meaning we decided to spend the evening not as a couple, but rather with a couple of sugared up kids.  It was a bold move.  On holidays involving large amounts of candy, I usually like to get a sitter and leave the county only to come back long after the craziness has subsided.  But, thanks to some exhaustion and the fact that Dave Ramsey has us on a budget, we ate pizza and hung out as a family.  I have to say, it was a lot of fun.



Had I tried to live the high life, I would have missed out on some of the best moments I've had in a long time.  My 21 month old gave me a Valentine with her little signature on it.  My four year old colored me a picture of the fiery furnace surrounded by hearts- no, not hearts on fire diamonds, but rather Rack, Shack and Benny in a blaze.  My husband bathed the kids while I relaxed.  In essence, the night was pretty much like most nights around here.  But, you see, because of what Christ has done for our family, what He has brought us through, a regular night is actually an extraordinary night. 

A Fiery Furnace Valentine!

Near poverty during seminary, hectic early years of ministry, postpartum (and just plain old) depression, have made me thankful to just live regularly.  The hard times have helped us persevere
and the perseverance has led to contentment.

I guess all in all, it was a "love chapter" kind of day, full of patience and kindness.  I guess getting old and becoming content isn't so bad after all!

Happy Valentine's Day!