DOWN HOME:
A day to thank God for love
___"What do you want for Valentine's Day?" Joanna asked me last week.
___"A big, fat kiss will do," I told the redhead who has the amazing power to make any old ordinary day seem like Valentine's.
___She grinned at me, and then I remembered.
___"Of course, if I get a kiss on Valentine's Day, I'll be in big trouble," I acknowledged.
___"That's right, and don't you forget it!" she said, laughing at my plight.
___Unfortunately, I'll be home alone on Valentine's Day. Jo and our girls, Lindsay and Molly, are leaving for a drill team competition Wednesday, the
day before Valentine's. Jo is a chaperone for the Lewisville High School Farmerettes, who (we hope) will kick their way to glory this week. I'm cashing in some frequent-flier miles and joining them at South Padre Island over the weekend, when the competition actually gets under way.
___Fortunately, I get enough kisses and hugs and cuddles and laughter throughout the year to carry me over the occasional absentee Valentine's Day. When the Lord blesses your life with love and happiness, you can miss dinner out on Valentine's every few years or so.
___Since 1977, the date of the first Valentine's Day after Jo and I started dating, I've always thought of Valentine's as Thanksgiving, too. God blessed me with a woman who not only is the love of my life but also my best friend, a hilarious comedian and now a tremendous mother to the other sweethearts of my life, Lindsay and Molly.
___Across America, the celebration of love and romance is big business. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Valentine's Day is crucial to the flower and candy industries, which put up some impressive numbers:
___ Americans spent $427 million on cut flowers in 2000. That includes $69 million on roses (the big Valentine favorite) and $59 million on lilies (the funeral favorite).
___ Americans ate an average of 25 pounds of candy in 2000. "It is believed a large portion is consumed around Valentine's Day," the Census Bureau stated. Guess that means we want our loved ones to have more of us to love.
___ As you might imagine, chocolate is our favorite candy. U.S. chocolate manufacturers shipped $11.4 billion worth of "bonbons and other sweets" in 1999. We imported another $363 million in chocolate from Canada.
___ But we like other kinds of candy. U.S. candymakers shipped $6.3 billion worth of "non-chocolate confectionary products" in '99.
___If you're looking for a special place to celebrate your romance, you can choose from nine places with "love" in their names, including Lovelady, Texas, and two towns with the Big Day as a name, including Valentine, Texas.
___This Valentine's, wherever you are and whatever your romantic status, thank God for people who love you and people you love.
The Baptist Standard
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
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