I wish I would have taken more photos of the weekend, but alas, this is what I have for proof.
The card, which my husband bought from a talented co-worker, came with a small box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day. Our night was spent at home, tending to the kids mostly.
Saturday night we went to Mass then took part in a Couple’s Night Out with other married couples from our parish. We enjoyed a meal together at a beautiful conference center (Bluestem’s Marcil Commons) and heard the bishop talk about his years growing up in a family of five in Nebraska.
Bishop Folda was the youngest of the three kids, and was often put in his place by his older siblings, as he tells it. However, now that he’s gone on to become a bishop, his older brother and sister have much less leverage. Justice has seen the light. He shared all this with a smile and in his customary gentle manner. At the end, we were able to ask questions, and he revealed during that time that some of his favorite bands growing up were Journey, Styx, The Electric Light Orchestra (E.L.O.) and Kansas. This is a bishop I can relate to; these bands among the beloved of our own growing up years.
Sunday, I helped teach a class on how faith and writing intermingle, and that evening, we were able to redeem the one disappointing element of the previous night — a very overcooked pork dish that even this non-picky eater couldn’t take — with a very pleasant Valentine’s meal, courtesy of my mother, at Famous Dave’s.
In other words, we sucked everything we could out of this day weekend of love.
I’ll be honest. I’m not much for Valentine’s Day. There are some years I’d really rather leave it than take it. And we had a near-disaster here when one of the kids left their prepared Valentine cards with chocolates attached on the living-room floor. The next morning, we woke to just the wrappers and a dog that kept begging to go outside. We know chocolate isn’t good for dogs so we wondered if Snickers’ valentine surprise would come out alive. Thankfully, he did and with a new hankering for chocolate. I suppose when the snow thaws in the spring, we’ll find some tinfoil mixed in with the rest of the canine droppings.
Ah, the joys of life.
Truly, now, what would this world be without love? It’s a powerful emotion, a word that is sometimes overused or not properly honored, but it is what makes the world go round, as the old camp song says.
Here’s a flashback to what love looked like a few years ago when we were a five-some family.
You can’t call us unpatriotic!
Have a wonderful new week!
Peace Garden Mama
Leave a Reply