Horrible
Heart’s Day?
Dear Friend,
Today, my teen daughter is wearing a V Day tee-shirt that
says, Who Needs a Valentine When You Have
Friends.
When you’re single or depressed...or single and depressed...help yourself to any
combination of the two, Valentine’s Day can be a real bummer. (i.e. downer,
washout, heart killer, dump day...)
The first V Day after my divorce, one of my sons surprised me
with a bouquet of flowers. He was
thoughtful enough to see that I no longer had a valentine’s sweetie to give me
flowers and love gifts.
Wonderful child!
I cried. I wallowed in
misery. I was a black hole of neediness.
I hated the whole day. When Christmas didn't finish me off, Valentine’s
Day did. The only thing I despised more than the holiday was me. I hated what I
was and to be honest, those feelings lasted a long, long time.
Wouldn't I sound strong and emotionally stable if I said I
pulled myself away from my pity party and soldiered on to become the steel
magnolia I thought I was. I mean, I had
plenty of examples of strong females around me. Well, I thought I was a strong woman. Before. Once. Wasn't I? When did That which does not kill us, makes us stronger, stop working?
I knew even at the time of my divorce that there were other
women who dropped their baskets just like I dropped mine. One lady came by where I worked just to share
with me that when her husband left her, she closed the blinds, locked the door,
and went to bed for two months. Hmm....I
had no idea who that woman was. I still don’t.
Shows you how word gets around doesn't it. I’m ashamed to say that I was embarrassed at
the time by her visit. Today, I know she
was reaching out with a gift; the real kind of Valentine’s gift... genuine
caring and love.
Truth be told, if I hadn’t been so incredibly focused on
myself and the hurt I was living in, I could have seen many other instances of
that kind of caring; a boss (the Mayor, actually!) who just happened to drop by
work every week for months, just to say hello;
a family who supported and loved me through the whole ordeal. Finally, I had a
God who carried me, though I was too blind to see it.
Huh. Well, as it turns out I had Valentine’s sweethearts all
along...
Dear One,
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in
my love.” John 15:9 NIV
Love,
Jesus,
Your Real Valentine
If you have managed to get past despair, consider
reaching out to someone who hasn’t made it through. Post an encouraging word. Be a Valentine sweetheart for someone today.
Thanks and God Bless,
Raven
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