To Know, Love, and Serve

The unquestionable "love in the air" that comes around Valentine's Day can be either sickening, or exhilarating. 

There are many myths, legends, stories, etc., that seem to all claim the "original" beginning of the foreboding holiday. But what has our society pegged it to be? I dislike being the person that can appear pessimistic, but once again society has managed to sexualize yet another pure celebration. 

Now, don't get me wrong, Valentine's Day is the perfect time to spend with your spouse or your boyfriend/girlfriend. However, having talked to some of my friends' plans for this weekend, I realize that once again my family deviates from the norm. 

My parents have stressed to me from a very young age, the four most important priorities in your life.  

1. God is first. 

           -no questions asked, God will, and always should be first.

2. Family is also second. 

           -anytime is family time, and no abusing that power

3. Friends, strangers, and basically everyone else who doesn't fall under family.

           -new to some, but this Christian theme has been around for centuries. Give to others, and treat them as the Christ brothers and sisters that they are. 

4. Finally, yourself. 

           -Yes, you need your time to actually take care of yourself (physical exercise, a healthy relationship with God, good relationships, and healthy living to name a few). 

What does this have to do with Valentine's Day? It's simple. 

The Greeks put it beautifully by using four different words to describe love. I won't list them, but I encourage you to. They're beautiful, and by coming to understand their meaning we can truly come to fully understanding what love is ourselves. Now, to my knowledge, none of the Greek words really relate to us keeping ourselves mentally and physically healthy, but how about the rest of the list? 

 

My family enjoys celebrating love of the family and friendship on Valentine's Day. A bit of a Romanticized idea, I know, but it works to bring the family so much closer than if the kids simply sat at home all day while the parents gifted each other and went on dates. 

My parents do go on a date in the evening, usually after dinner or everyone has gone to bed, but they never pass up the opportunity to spend the afternoon showing that they also care about us, and we do the same for them. 

We start by making home made Valentine's (helping the littles with this is always fun :)) then paper sack bags are decorated. We use these similar to stockings, in that, we fill each other's decorated bags with the home made Valentine's the night before, and then the next morning Mom and Dad fill our bags with a card, and sometimes small toys and gifts, and, of course, candy. :)

Us, kids will usually plan something for each parent individually (Usually just another gift we had made for the siblings) and then we have dinner together as a family. The desert, of course, usually is something pink or red created that afternoon with the help of the younger kids. 

I know that our tradition is small, simple, and perhaps hoaky at best. :) But it shows our love in a way that everyone can participate in, and show how much we respect each other. 

So, none of us are dating, or married, except my parents. However, my family has decided that Valentine's Day, and Love in general, isn't limited to one's love for their spouse or significant other. It isn't sexualized, though that is a kind of love, no. It goes beyond that. There is more than one kind of love, and society likes to hide that. I know many of you know this all already, but sometimes we need reminded, like I did. 

So on this happy note, I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day that is filled with unsurpassable love. And that you spend it with whom you love most. 

Have a great Valentine;s Day. :) 

God Bless, 

Gwen Keller