Love for a lifetime

Lido Key Beach

                                  

February is often called "the month of love" because of Valentine's Day. It's not my favorite holiday, but I'll never pass up a reason to celebrate love!

My Hero and I were living in Colorado and had been married just a few months when I walked into our apartment after work on our first Valentine's Day married. My new husband had gone all out; candlelight, a dozen red roses, pink and red balloons, and a delicious meal from Olive Garden on our table for two. Partway through the meal, I let my man know I hadn't been feeling well all day. Actually, I felt terrible. Long story short, by the end of the holiday, we were in the emergency room. I had a UTI that needed antibiotics and a few days of rest. Talk about killing the romance. Oh my.

More recent Valentine's Day memories are the extra fun of making the day special for our children, too. Preparing every red or pink food, heart pancakes, classical music, dozens of candles, crafts, homeschool Valentine parties, and plenty of Hershey's kisses. 

This year Valentine's Day fell on Sunday, and as usual, our church family went above and beyond to make everyone (married, single, adult, youth, child) feel loved by our Heavenly Father. I love these pictures and the celebration of "true love" they represent.

The week before Valentine's Day this month, my Hero whisked me away for a romantic overnight getaway, on a Thursday. Talk about spoiled! After 21+ years I fall more and more in love with this man. He pursues me. He cherishes me. He wants God's best for me. He leads me faithfully. And as I've been preparing to speak at my church women's conference on the topic of marriage, I've become even more passionate about encouraging young wives to stay the course; forgive, celebrate your love, pray for your man, and daily strengthen your marriage. 

Marriage is not easy, but it's worth it! It's God's plan. It's a covenant. A picture of Jesus and His church... Below are a few images I hope you pass along to remind us that it's often the simple, daily acts of love (morning, afternoon, and evening) that strengthen our marriages for decades. I hope you know you have a friend praying and cheering for your marriage!