Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! As pointed out in my sister's blog, no doubt this is a holiday created by retailers. I know--even within my own extended family--that people often aren't receptive to being told when and how to celebrate their love. However, in our little family, we like to celebrate anytime possible. It interrupts the often mundane tasks of life with joy, delight, and wonder. A holiday, even a retailer-created one, is the perfect excuse to celebrate, and we do! What I like about Valentine's Day, especially, is that the little things we do for each other are typically gifts of the heart. For example, this year, I especially loved Caden's handmade crafts that he made for his brothers. I also enjoyed getting up extra early with Tristan (5:15!) to make him a special Valentine's breakfast before he headed off before 6:00 AM.

My gifts for the boys included a copy their "journals"--the birthday letters I write them each year, funny things they said when they were little, snapshots of their lives that I'd written over the years, and even lots of letters they'd written to their grandparents. They were cracking each other up this morning reading funny things they'd said when they were little. This had all been on the computer, but getting it to a format they could read and enjoy was well worth the effort! They also each got their own special box of Peppermint Bark Popcorn drizzled with Valentine-y melted hot pink Andes peppermint candies. Tim got "Valentine's In a Bag" with lots of different date ideas/items. He has been out of town this week and flew in mid-day today, which helped to make our day extra fun. We never get a chance to go out to lunch mid-week, and it felt like well-deserved playing hooking after his 15- or 16-hour days this week. 

The Celebration Station!
Where the party always begins at our house. 

This morning I was thinking that all the extra things we do during holidays help to build cherished memories, strengthen family bonds, and increase the love we have for each other. But even the most delightful holiday traditions could be hollow if the foundation isn't there in a family. In that light, I close with these profound truths from Gordon B. Hinckley: 

I know of no single practice that will have a more salutary effect upon your lives than the practice of kneeling together as you begin and close each day. Somehow the little storms that seem to afflict every marriage are dissipated when, kneeling before the Lord, you thank him for one another, in the presence of one another, and then together invoke his blessings upon your lives, your home, your loved ones, and your dreams.

God then will be your partner, and your daily conversations with him will bring peace into your hearts and a joy into your lives that can come from no other source. Your companionship will sweeten through the years; your love will strengthen. Your appreciation for one another will grow.

Your children will know the security of a home where dwells the Spirit of the Lord. You will gather them together in that home, as the Church has counseled, and teach them in love. They will know parents who respect one another, and a spirit of respect will grow in their hearts. They will experience the security of the kind word softly spoken, and the tempests of their own lives will be stilled. They will know a father and mother who, living honestly with God, live honestly also with one another and with their fellowmen. They will grow up with a sense of appreciation, having heard their parents in prayer express gratitude for blessings great and small. They will mature with faith in the living God.

I agree!