Balloons, A Stuffed Bear, and Red Roses

I made a sweet trip yesterday with my little brother, Eddie, age 10. If you're a regular CoffeeBreak reader you know that my Mom is very ill with lung cancer, confined to her bedroom. Her illness is made all the more difficult to understand by the fact that she is still parenting the little ones that Dad and her adopted. Eddie is the youngest, the most active, and the most sensitive.

"Hey, buddy," I asked him, "would you like to go and get a Valentine gift for Momma?" So, off we went on Sunday afternoon.
"Should we buy flowers?" I queried. "Well, yeah, but red roses are classic and I want something different" he responded. We chatted about the merits of red roses for the day, an interesting topic to discuss with a 10 year old. We ended up with a huge three-part balloon array that spells out "I LOVE U" and a bouquet of pink roses mixed with other flowers. Just as we were leaving, he spotted a little stuffed bear with a red heart on it's chest in a mug decorated with a heart and a message of love. He determined it was a must-have for Mom! I had to hide my tears from him as he nearly burst with excitement, anticipating sharing his gift with his Mom, whose illness he seems strangely unable to comprehend.

$19 billion will be spent on Valentine's Day gifts according to a story I saw on CNN. Men will outspend women, but I don't think many gifts will carry the same sweet joy and pure love that we carried home for the net sum of $35 yesterday! Love can't be bought with a balloon, a rose, or even a diamond. Pity the person who thinks it can. But, a gift can't hurt, either. I hope that you'll take time to make Hallmark richer by choosing a card that reflects your personality and relationship. (Or, if you're creative, even better, make your own!)

For the record, here's a little history about Valentine's Day.
Thanks to the American Catholic website.

• "The roots of St. Valentine's Day lie in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated on Feb. 15. For 800 years the Romans had dedicated this day to the god Lupercus. On Lupercalia, a young man would draw the name of a young woman in a lottery and would then keep the woman as a sexual companion for the year. Pope Gelasius I was, understandably, less than thrilled with this custom. So he changed the lottery to have both young men and women draw the names of saints whom they would then emulate for the year. Instead of Lupercus, the patron of the feast became Valentine. (There are three Valentines, each a martyr for their love of and work for Christ.) For Roman men, the day continued to be an occasion to seek the affections of women, and it became a tradition to give out handwritten messages of admiration that included Valentine's name.
  
  There was also a conventional belief in Europe during the Middle Ages that birds chose their partners in the middle of February. Thus the day was dedicated to love, and people observed it by writing love letters and sending small gifts to their beloved. Legend has it that Charles, duke of Orleans, sent  the first real Valentine card to his wife in 1415, when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London."

Does not all that just warm your heart?

I'm glad for the changes that time has brought! Whatever else you might do today, I hope that each of us will make it a day of authentic love for others. Remember, too, that Biblical love is costly and other-centered.

Here is a word from the Word for this Valentine's Day.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.


Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.


Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV)

"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters... Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions." (1 John 3:16,18, NLT)

_____________________

Love divine,
all love excelling,
Joy of heav'n,
to earth come down!
Fix in us Thy humble dwelling;
All Thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, Thou art all compassion;
Pure, unbounded love Thou art.
Visit us with Thy salvation;
Enter ev'ry trembling heart.

Breathe, oh breathe,
Thy loving Spirit
Into ev'ry troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit;
Let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be.
End of faith, as its beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.

John Wesley

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