P.S. Happy Valentine's Day

Maybe it's the sun streaming through the window pane, or the vacant rain spilling from the sky. Or perhaps it's the promise of spring hugging the calendar on the kitchen wall. It could be the desperate need to turn the gaze from the news, even for a few minutes. Wash the soul clean with a little of that spiritual homework. Unplug Facebook and the cell phone. Write it out in cursive, ink it right into a fresh sheet of  college-ruled notebook paper. I will do it today! I will not grumble about politics or the excessive rain we've had. I will sing it out loud on those thin blue lines of paper, the pen it will catch the words, let them flow upward, let Him hear my ardent Valentine.

I love you, God, even when things aren't going my way.

I love you more than I did yesterday, seriously.

I love you for never turning your back, never running away, and always catching me when I fall right hard, which can be on most days.

I love you for this life, crazy and hard, beautiful and stunning, peaceful and stressful, creative, joyful.

I love that you made us all unique, individual, cherished.
I love the way tiny grains of sand glisten, sparkle even, under your toes on a glorious sunny day.
Oh and those waves in the ocean, how majestic and therapeutic, and how you calm the storms with a single touch, a breath from heaven. I love that too.
I adore my family, my husband, children, grandchildren, siblings, all this you gifted, I love you.
I love your teachings on the fruit of the spirit; patience, kindness, self-control, gentleness, joy, peace and I think there might be two more. (There is a special place in DC that might need a fruit basket soon.) I slipped this in.
I love the first kiss of spring, all the seasons you created, and birds, birds, birds, except maybe crows.

I give the pen a few shakes, the ink, it begins to run dry. Flex the fingers a little, they've grown a bit stiff. There is so much more to say, so many more endearments to share, but the page is full. I cramp it in, one last line.

I love you for forgiveness, I cannot forget forgiveness, that awesome grace that trumps all grace. 
P.S.
Happy Valentine's Day

And I carefully tear out the sheet of paper, fold it in half, tuck it in my rain jacket. Just in case I need a gentle reminder on a slippery, hard, wet and stormy day.