Valentine's Weekend

This past weekend we went away from 3 nights to a lovely B&B in Arlington, WA called River Rock Inn. It is beautiful and the weekend was fantastic. Just what we needed.

Valentine's day used to be my day of dread. It was the LOVE day...the day that simply screamed at me...SINGLE. But now that I am married I have a new appreciation for Valentine's day. It is not a romance day only but a day that tells everyone you love, that you do. I wish I would have not scorned it so much before but honestly I am really glad that on the off days...the non valentine's days...my family and friends have known in many ways how much I love them. I love to love on people. It is a blessing to bless others.

But this weekend...my husband blessed me. He blessed me by loving me even though I hurled insults at him when our train got all messed up and our rental car wasn't waiting and no one could figure out where our reservations were. He blessed me by letting me vent and not getting angry as I continued to rail about our 8 hour journey that was supposed to be much shorter because of taking a train and renting a car. He blessed me by still taking me to dinner and loving me even though i was knotted up and tightly wound. And then he blessed me by opening the door to my room and showing me what was waiting. Jeremy had arranged to send a beautiful gift for me with an even more treasured card to go with it. He had also arranged a lovely bouquet of roses.

As I sat down and read the card I was truly humbled. Humbled by a husband that knew what awaited me as I ranted and didn't throw it in my face. A husband who had so carefully planned this amazing weekend and as I shouted at him that I just wanted to go home, he sat patiently, only asking me if I could try to get past his mistakes and love him anyway. A husband who wrote the most poignant words that I NEEDED to hear. I sat there stunned and began to cry. On this holiday weekend of love I had already said the most unloving things to my husband and I was deeply ashamed. All I could say was forgive me, I love you, and Thank you.

The weekend was wonderful but the biggest lesson I took was what it felt like to be so humbled and truly having an understanding of what real love looks like. It isn't "stuff". It is respect, time, words...all of the things that no money can buy and what can't be returned or taken back. Oh that I could take back my words and those lost moments of time...but now I can take those words and that lost time and remember it the next time I want to be angry and don't want to control it. My husband taught me the best lesson of love. it is having self control and loving without condition. God is so good. I used to pray that God would truly show himself to me and now I think he does. Through my husband. And the love my husband has for me is just a small example of how infinite My Father's love is. I am so truly blessed that God saw fit to send me a prince and allow me to be "discovered". In my single days a friend said that to me and it stuck. When i asked her why she was single she simply answered that she hadn't been discovered yet. :o)