Ever, AJ

Things sure are lovey around here...as lovey as it can be at Bible School. Valentines Day is a day away. There's been girls getting mail-ordered flowers, Valentine's cards being exchanged, gifts are being given, girl's night (with Jesus of course), and lots of hugs. It seems, the older I've gotten, the less I've cared about Valentine's Day. For some reason it's just not a holiday I would get very excited about. With that being said, you know I still throughly enjoyed the cheesy made-for-t.v. movies on the Hallmark Channel and ABC Family. Maybe it's never been a big deal for me because I've never had that special someone to love on that day.

I will always cherish what we receive from our parents. A single red rose from Dad, and a gift (like earrings or an extra Christmas gift that was saved) from Mom, and cards from both. It was the best to wake up, ready for school, thinking it's a normal morning, until we'd come upstairs and our gifts and flowers were waiting for us on the counter. Surprise! I loved that. Each year you didn't want to expect that it would happen again, just for the surprise when it did. The Valentines I've known thus far in life have only ever been celebrated with family...which I've loved.

Now, Elementary School is another story. Remember those days? Homemade Valentines Boxes and fun activities throughout the day. And in the last hour of the school day: learning stops, love is in the air, and you have your Valentines party! Our class would always make a big circle around the room with our desks, set out decorated boxes, and run around the circle passing out personal Valentines. Nothing better than to open up your box to see which friends 'like' you and which 'love' you, and how much candy you received. Oh, but most importantly: the person you had a crush on would always get the best Valentine, maybe even an extra candy. And if you're really lucky, maybe you'd even receive the special note with the "Check: Yes or No" question at the end.

Happy Valentine's Day.

P.S. - I received a dozen roses by post today! Thanks J, best surprise!