broken strings and slumbering chords

I love Valentine's Day. I recently declared it my favorite holiday (with Christmas being my favorite "season"). As a child I prepared for the homeschool valentine party by carefully addressed all of my cards and sticking them to pieces of candy (I was more of a tomboy back then, so I was the only girl who gave out Crocodile Hunter cards). Once I hit adolescence, I participated in celebrations by buying boxes of chocolate for my acne-covered self and all of my girlfriends. Once I became a more clearly-thinking adult, I discovered that there was still something about roses, chocolates, cute cards, sappiness, and more chocolate that appealed to my inner hopeless romantic. 2015 was my first time to spend Valentine's Day with a boyfriend (albeit long distance) and he did not disappoint.  I haven't met many people, whether single or in a relationship, who share my affection for the holiday my dad sarcastically calls "Hallmark Day". When I first asked J for his opinions, he said, "I think we should show love all year long - not just on a specified day." Perhaps that's why so few people hold February 14th seriously - because after the "puppy love" stage of a romance has gone, we'd rather have a quiet night in than a nice night out, and doing the dishes shows love better than a dozen roses. But although the giddiness of receiving chocolate and roses may fade, I still want to enjoy Valentine's Day. Just perhaps not in the traditional way. I want to celebrate Valentine's Day...with my kids. Sure, they can buy cards and candy for their friends if they want to, but I want it to be more than that. My special day for them might include candy and chocolates and pink and red balloons. I want it to be a special time that they will look forward to. I want to use the day to show some extra love to my kiddos - and encourage them to show some extra love to others, too. I want to use the day to remind them that Mommy and Daddy love them a lot! I also want to remind them that God loves them more than anyone else in this world ever will.  I want February 14th to be a day they will look forward to so that when they're older, maybe it won't be "Singles Awareness Day" to them. Instead of looking at others' relationship statuses and feeling lonely, maybe they'll remember how much they are loved - by their family and friends, but most importantly by God. I would enjoy sharing my favorite holiday with my family. Maybe they won't be hopeless romantics like me, and that's okay. We probably won't celebrate it how I've planned (it's a long way away!). But whether we celebrate Valentine's Day or not, I want them to know that more special than a box of chocolates or a bouquet of fresh flowers is the fact that they are loved. That even more than Mommy and Daddy love them, God loves them. That someday when they fall in love and all their dreams come true, our joy is still ultimately found in the One who loves us more than anyone else on this planet ever could. That the love letter that God has written us is more beautiful than any store-bought card. That God's love is more fulfilling than any other's. That God's love is sweeter than any box of candy, and that a day spent enjoying God's perfect love is better than any perfectly-planned Valentine's Day.