Valentine’s Day

I really stink at Valentine’s Day. My husband always says he doesn’t want anything, and he is completely sincere about it. He could care less if I get him a card… a gift… anything. So, I usually find myself at Walgreen’s on Valentine’s Day finding a card out of the picked over selection that isn’t too mushy but attempts to convey how I feel about this man. It never feels like enough.

Let me tell you about our first Valentine’s Day together. We had been dating for about 6 weeks. This was a very new relationship, and I didn’t really think to have any kind of expectations. This coming from a girl who had never had a proper relationship before. I did not date throughout high school or college. Not for a lack of desire, but simply because I had it in my head that no guy would ever be interested in me. So I had a wall about 20 feet high around me that screamed “don’t bother.” That’s a different story for a different time.

At the time, I was a music teacher in rural Minnesota. As my luck would have it, Valentine’s Day coincided with the annual state music educators conference in Minneapolis. Which I was attending. And he wasn’t. I was a little bit devastated that my first chance at being in a relationship at Valentine’s Day was going to be a huge let down.

Then something happened that I didn’t expect. He pulled out all the stops.

In the week building up to V-Day and my MMEA adventure, Todd began giving me a card each day. Each day, it was a surprise, completely catching me off-guard. As I was leaving for Minneapolis, he handed me three more cards, each to be opened on a specific day, and each revealing a little more of his plan. What started as a cute idea for a week’s worth of cards ended with him walking into the Hilton’s lobby, looking tall, dark, and handsome as he carried an enormous bouquet of flowers, walking straight towards me. It was right out of a movie!

I had always prayed for the right man to come into my life. I struggled for a long time to come to terms with what I thought was a destiny for singlehood. As I watched friends plan their marriages and fall in love so easily, I prayed to be noticed.  But then, God. He placed the right person in my life at just the right time. We often look back at our beginning and marvel at how the pieces fell into place, not by our plan, but by His. His timing has been a theme throughout our marriage and relationship, whether we were on board or not. His plan for us was always perfect. I just didn’t know it at the time.

Making minimal plans for celebrating this weekend (it’s a writing weekend for school), I still want to be thankful for the Valentines that God placed in my life ever so intentionally. So, I will find a way to say I love you in a special way.

Sending lots of love your way and praying for your blessings.