MOVING FORWARD - pastor mike landry

Valentine's Day has alway produced a spirit of excitement around here. My house is always redone in reds, hearts, sweets, flowers, and "I love you" cards. We're talking a total makeover. Not my idea but Cindy's. I would never think of decorating like that. We never did that when I was growing up. I'm thinking if you have to go to all that trouble to decorate for Valentines Day, it means you're going to have to also take time undoing it afterwards. Sounds like a lot of unnecessary work.

But I'm sure glad my wife, Cindy, does it. It has proven to be a great investment in my children's lives (as well as mine). It has created a climate of love over the years in my home and has proven to be contagious among my kids. It has nurtured a proactive and caring spirit in my children that was demonstrated this past weekend.

TTK#3 occurred last Saturday. TTK stands for "Tie the Knot". It's a term my kids came up with whenever one of them gets engaged. Last Saturday, my youngest, Michelle, was proposed to. In fact, my son called it, "TTK - The Last Battle" (as you can see, a term of endearment nurtured by many years of exposure to the "Valentine makeover).

I'm amazed at how each of the engagements have worked out. The planning of "the GREAT ASK" has always been a joint strategic effort of all three kids. And this time was no exception. In fact, daughter Beth actually flew down here to help with the logistics while Jason, bound to commitments in medical residency, was limited to audio/visual Skyping before, during, and after "the GREAT ASK". It turned out, as have the previous two engagements, to be a great moment and memory.

I'm discovering that love is not something to just talk about or feel or write about. It must be demonstrated and constant. It's the planning, the sacrifices, the traditions, and the time invested that really pays off. Sure, it's a lot of work to love somebody over the long haul and to be creatively enthusiatic about expressing it...but it certainly worth it. And if Mom and Dad model it, who knows...maybe the kids will pick it up and pass it on too.

Oh yeah. I never said it would be easy. Yesterday, I attended a Chickflick entitled, "Confessions of a Shopaholic." It was a date with my wife and daughter. I had to keep reminding myself that taking them to a movie they'd like to see (as opposed to one I think we'd all like - "Pink Panther 2") was the best way for me to say, "I love you." Yes, I left the movie numb and confused, but the circulation finally improved and I am able to breath again normally. The best part was knowing that my girls heard me say loudly with my actions, "I loved you." And yes, I said those words too.