Valentine's Day

I had Valentine's Day all planned out in my head. It would start with a nice breakfast before I went to sing at church. On my way home, I was going to pick up a coffee for my husband and give it to him along with a love note. I had a zoom playdate set up for my oldest where he and a few other toddlers would do a Valentine's Day craft. Later, both our boys were going to do a painting activity. I also wanted to dress them up and take Valentines Day pictures. In the evening, I would attend a zoom birthday celebration for one of my close sisters. Then we all would have a movie night and when the boys went to sleep, I wanted my husband and I to redo the love languages test. I was going to capture pictures of each event to display on this blog post and on social media.

Okay so this is how the day really went. I ended up falling asleep after my alarm went off so I was running late for church and only had time to warm up a pancake and some eggs that were supposed to be for my son. On my way home after church, I did NOT stop and get coffee because I forgot the bank card at home. I hadn't written the love note yet either. The time of the toddler playdate ended up being lunch time so he didn't participate. There were a few diaper changes, followed by naptime for both kids, so no painting. I was able to celebrate my sister's birthday on the zoom call, but other than that, much of the day didn't go as planned.

So here's the thing. I could have been upset that my plans were derailed. I could have been salty about not being able to share all these cutesy posts like everyone else. But actually Valentines Day was great in the Handy household. It was a great day because I was able to just be present in the moment with my Handy men. This is a lesson that I'm constantly learning. Being present is far more valuable than checking off items from a list. Making memories is more valuable than needing to always share those moments on social media. 

I actually had a little bit of a meltdown this past week. Through it all I was reminded how love isn't about everything being perfect. My husband was right there helping me through the anxiety; trying his best to give me what I needed. He doesn't just love me on good days, but also when I'm not feeling the best. I was also reminded that loving myself includes giving myself grace and being aware of the reasons for my emotions. Being a mom can be overwhelming but loving my children isn't just about planning everything out and sharing everything that they accomplish with the world. Loving them includes appreciating the moments of just being with them even on days when things don't go as planned. These are the things that I thought about on Love Day; true love! Loving God, loving myself, and loving others!

Loving God is about becoming more like Him and spending time with Him. Loving myself is about knowing my identity and giving myself grace through the process of becoming more like Christ. Loving others is about treating everyone with love and respect everyday - not being mean, not being selective, not just buying extravagant gifts because it's a holiday. But actually, truly loving people. Beyond having the right words to post with the right picture on social media to show a glamorized version of life, we are committed to actually being loving, godly individuals. That's what Love Day taught me.