For whatever reason this year, Valentine's celebrations started a couple of weeks back. It was my fault. While we (Sophia and I) were waiting for the oil to be changed in our van (call it the momma-mobile....I loves me my mini-van) at the Wal-mart, we perused the V-day aisle and the moment Sophia saw heart shapes she got giddy, clapped her hands at the red hues about us and exclaimed, "Mommy! It's Valentines!" Where did this eruption come from I wondered...then...a-ha, I remembered.
Last year, after the splurging on our Christmas, I decided that I wanted to provide sweet somethings for my girls and hubby in both crafts and treats that were homemade. So in a weekend, we cut out construction paper hearts, posted sweet notes around the house, I made a banner to surprise the girl's Valentines morning,
and we made heart shaped cookies complete with pink icing and red sprinkles....
SO, for Sophia, Hearts=Valentines=Decorations=Crafts=FUN.
Well guess what we did at home after seeing the early Valentine's aisle?....we have been cutting and drawing and decorating ever since. It is like St. Valentine himself is expected down the chimney tonight as often as she has been reminding us all of the day's impending arrival. She is 4 years old and she just tickles me. She has me going full on for Valentine's day. Me, who as a girl threw up my nose at V-day sentiments as sappy (maybe cuz I didn't find lots of cards in my Valentine's box, sniff, yeah, second grade memory here....okay now, I am over it...let's move on) nor did I ever have a beau any of my school days to flaunt sweet nothings from. Then in college, surrounded by great male and female friends and still quite single, I decided to change the day a bit. Instead of the emphasized, commercialized romantic chocolates and diamonds "love" the day elicits, I wanted to treat those I cared for to encouragements and thanks for the love and care they gave to me. So, on cute pink scented paper, in a delicate type I printed the following Shakespeare's Sonnet (116) for my dear family and friends:
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
They loved it and ever since then I have tried to do a little something in the same vein. And apparently it has been passed on with a fervor to my girls who have an appreciation for red, hearts, sweets, and now a Valentine's family meal. Of all the family traditions I have tried to propagate, this one now has a life of it's own in the delight of family time together and the love in our midst. Here was a sampling of the meal, "deconstructed Chicken Pot Pie" (or let's say, bit lazy CPP)
....gots to say this was delicious. Anna (14 yo)was aching to create a new sweet and came up with these Strawberry Cream Tarts that were so good
(see the heart shapes)...they were all gone at the end of the night. Earlier last week, I attempted heart shaped cocoa macarons with strawberry cream filling. Sophia, got ultra excited that they were heart shaped then asked me to make her a candy cane one (what?!) and because I love her I said, "okey dokey!"
(Here's to you, Carol!)...sadly they looked better than they tasted....they were completely new for my crew, and they gobbled them up lovingly, appreciatively, and chuckled at me for pronouncing them in the French style (ma-ca-Ron, like the name "Ron")while they insisted on saying "macaroons"... I tried.
 |
| I HEART these people! |
Above all the extras though, I do want my girls to carry with them the full meaning of love....In Who loved us first, and Christ who came because God so LOVED the world, and everyday blessings of kindness, gratitude, and putting others first. For this Valentine's Day I want to say thank you to those of you who have so kindly stopped by and thoughtfully encouraged me, prayed for us, and commented. You've done my heart good.
1 John 4:19
We love because He first loved us.
In Christ,
