All Love

I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day. All the cards, presents and expectations can be hard for both couples and singles. Couples try to make huge romantic gestures that likely cost a lot of money, thanks to the inflation surrounding this day. Single people feel devalued because they don't have a significant other. And that really bothers me. People in relationships are no better than single people. So why does Hallmark rub it in their faces? It's a shame that a "holiday" makes people feel badly about themselves. So historically, I have not celebrated Valentine's Day (including the years I've been with Brian).

But I've been thinking a lot about this holiday. I think it can become a whole different kind of day. People say it's a day about love, but the focus is so heavily on romantic love. Why can't be a day for all kinds of love? Sometimes we take the people we love for granted and forget to tell them how much they mean to us. I was so blessed this weekend to spend time with people I love very much and I think that they know it. I hope they know it.

Maybe sharing our love, with friends, family and signficant others, can turn Valentine's Day into a great day. Who doesn't love being told they are loved? So please, spread the love today. All kinds of love.

Plans

Plans can change so quickly. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. But it's been amazing to me lately how fast "our" plans can change.

I say "our", because we can make plans all we want. But God's plan for our lives is what happens. I have so much trouble seeing the big picture sometimes that I can't even begin to understand God's plan for me. And it's so hard in the moment when something goes wrong to even try to think that God has something bigger and better planned. But it is such a reward when you finally see the good He has.

This has been on my heart lately because of all the plans I'm seeing come to fruition, not happen or be a surprise.

Some of my friends are applying for grad school, as I am. The waiting is so hard. But as it turns out, the rejection is harder. My heart is breaking for my friends who have worked so hard and really deserve to get into grad school, and yet may not be accepted. The idea of a back-up plan is something they didn't want to consider and now it's here. I know they will get into grad school, one day. I just hope they're happy in the meantime.

Other plans I'm seeing more often are engagements, weddings, divorce (I still struggle to believe this is already happening to people my age- breaks my heart), and babies. These plans can bring celebration, surprise (which can be positive or negative), but also negative emotions. I pray that positive things come out of all these plans, that override any negatives.

I hope as plans change, things can still bring us joy. I think there's always little things that can delight us, even in unfortunate situations. And eventually, good will come from this. We just need to be patient.