Valentine's Day has come and gone, and it is indeed my favorite holiday. Why? Because it is a day to celebrate love... all kinds of love: love between a husband and a wife, parents and children, friends, family, and mostly the love my Savior has for me. While I don't believe we should just set aside one day to demonstrate our love for others, I do believe in celebrating Valentine's Day. It is such a sweet holiday. I love the cute decorations, the Valentine exchange kids have in schools, and I love, love, love having a brand new Valentine to share today with. This is his first Valentine... yep, my baby Isaiah.
You see, before there was Isaiah, there was Matt and I. And while I love my husband, it is so traditional to get him a card and a little gift. And, I guess the reason I don't mind if Matt gets me anything for Valentine's Day is because he shows me he loves me every other day of the year. If he only got me flowers, chocolate and cards on Valentine's day, well, that doesn't prove anything except that he's doing the husband duty. However, my hubby is sweet and surprises me other days of the year, and I guess I just get used to it. Its not as if I don't appreciate it (because we all know this girl loves chocolate), its just that the newness and excitement of getting these things wears off. There is housework to do, a baby to take care of, a dog that needs fed, bills that need paid. There was a time when I would do all the housework because I didn't babysit a 4-year-old and have an 11-month-old. It didn't bother me to do everything by myself. I didn't have much else to do anyway. Matt and I were in a routine. A nice, cushy routine. Life was a habit. It was fun and exciting, but neither one of us would go above and beyond to love the other. We weren't really self-sacrificing. Mostly, we were comfortable with where we were, and that was fine by me!
Then, Isaiah came into this world and showed me an entirely new kind of love. The kind of love that doesn't come with a card. It comes crying and naked into a hospital room. It comes with sleepless nights, washing bottles hundreds of times, changing diapers, getting puked on, getting pooped and peed on... It comes with cuddling and rocking. This new love comes with a lot more work and a lot less me. You see, I learned a very important thing that first night in the hospital with my baby boy, I learned how to really love. I'm not the best... I'm far from it, but this new love is not cushy. It is not comfortable or habitual. It is giving; it is sacrificing; it is unconditional. It is going above and beyond to serve. It is putting myself last.
And so this Valentine's Day wasn't about me at all. It was about my husband and baby boy. I used to wonder what Matt was going to get for me on Valentine's Day. Not that I really cared that much, just that he thought about me. Today, however, I wondered, "What will I do today to show my husband that I love him... not just today, but for the rest of my life?" Today, the flowers smelled wonderful, and the chocolate was delicious, but the hug from my husband was best. Just knowing that I can talk to him, that he cares about me, and that I have officially put him first in our relationship is what makes this day special. The entire reason behind Valentine's Day is to show someone you were thinking of them. In other words, its putting yourself last. Its a lot less me. And it took a bald, naked, crying, pink baby boy to put this whole day in perspective. The things God teaches me never cease to amaze me.
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