Valentine’s Day, Monday, February
14, 2022
Roughly 72-million adults will combine to spend a couple
billion dollars on gifts for their loved ones today. In America, pet dogs come in higher on the Valentine’s
Day gift list than cats (53% to 47%[1]). The reason may
be because dogs wag their tails as a sign they’re glad to see you, while a cat’s
wagging tail is a veiled warning your kitty is getting ready to shred your arm. Teachers receive more Valentines than anyone
else. It may certainly be a sense of admiration
from their little students, but I’ve long-suspected it might be a way to a
better report card. All this may well be
revealed at the Great White Throne judgment, but, until that time, it’s fun to
wonder why lovers do what they do.
Of course I’m always prepared for Valentine’s Day. I’ve got an advantage; two days prior is the anniversary
of the day Elizabeth and I got married. That
advantage is February 12, 1967 which was the best day of my life. With all the
TV advertising the month before the great card, flower, and choclate-exchange, it’s
impossible for me to forget the way she looked walking down the aisle.
This year that thanksgiving for my blessings takes on a
new memory. I am thankful for the love
shown me by the nurses and staff at Lexington Hospital’s cardio rehabilitation
unit. It is impossible to miss the sense
of dedication and purpose surrounding that great team of mercy.
This Valentine’s Day I will be basking in the glow of having
spent 55 years with my bride, my best friend.
I will also be thankful for new friends who helped me develop an
attitude of recovery. I’m also going to take
with me the image of Tin Man’s sincere joy and loyalty, as a reminder that love
comes in many shades, colors, sizes, touches, and selfless deeds.
It is my calling in this life to serve He who is the
source of joy, Jesus Christ. I serve the
One who gave the ultimate gift of love, His life in exchange for my need of
forgiveness. And each time I am reminded
of that, because someone exercised kindness, helpfulness, or unselfishness to
bless me, like the Tin Man, I find a little more of what my heart was designed
to be.
For You Today
You’ve got a
heart! You were designed with one that can
love or hate. When you dwell on the good
and lovely things in this life, like people who’ve been a blessing to you, and
the God who loves you, you’re likely to use the energy and breath God gave you to
pass-along joy and hope to others. In a
world so challenged with hatred, violence, and sadness, there is a great need
for the heart inside you and me that will say:
I love you.
You chew on that as
you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!
[1] Title: Russell Brownworth (own work) Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
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