Love is for All

Happy Valentines Day!! This past week we have carried on a tradition that we started as a family about five years ago. At that time I read the Family Fun magazine and the following idea I thought would be really fun to do in our family. The Monday prior to Valentines Day (this year we actually started last Monday) we have a family lesson about something to do with love. This year I focused the lesson around God's desire for each of us to love everyone. I brought out our globe and talked about how it doesn't matter where we live in the world or what we look like or what job we have; God loves us all the same. I shared how when astronauts are orbiting the earth they see no boundary lines like those we see on maps and how several astronauts have commented that we are all brothers and sisters sharing the same home, the earth.

Then I presented the empty ice cream sundae glass and the container of glass rocks. The following week until Valentines Day we all have the opportunity to fill up the ice cream glass with the beads when we do a loving act for someone (it doesn't have to be just toward our family members). If our jar is full by Valentines Day then we will all go out for ice cream that night. The above picture was taken a few days ago and since that time everyone has been really blessing the lives of others!! Alysee has been busy making pictures and sending them to people; Nathan has been giving Cooper lots of hugs and playing with him; Alex and Tyler have done all sorts of things from cleaning the basement without being told, making Valentines and hiding them around the house, doing a kind deed for a school friend, etc...

So it looks like we will be heading to Dairy Queen tonight after we eat our homemade heart pizza. I love this tradition because it helps us all (especially the kids) remember how important it is to "love one another" as Christ would have us do. Also, after just celebrating Christmas it reminds the kids that every holiday does not need to include presents to make it a special day!

I must mention though that Birch has really outdone himself this year in making me feel special. I have been sent on a scavenger hunt throughout the day and have been challenged to not cheat. Here is the first clue I received via email (boy does he know me):

The first of the clues is a gift for you,

You'll find it in one of the bathrooms.

In the great big drawer under a towel or two,

Is one of your favorite tunes.

Now there is a catch, which you will find hard,

If you cheat you'll turn into a raccoon...

The instructions given on this card

Must not be executed until noon.

I was so excited when I opened up a new Norah Jones cd for me to listen to today. I LOVE her peaceful music and have literally worn out my old cd's. The next clue has instructed me to lay on my tummy in the living room and look under the chair where we like to read to receive something yummy...but NOT until 2:00 pm. I better hurry and post this because it is almost 2:00 pm. Until later...

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the plate with the hearts around it also is a new tradition that we have just started. It is our SPECIAL PERSON PLATE. I have wanted to do this for quite sometime but until now I haven't done anything about it. Each week on a random day I pick someone that will get the SPECIAL PERSON plate at dinner. Before we start eating we all get a turn to say something that we love about that person. The person receiving the compliments needs to say "thank you" or acknowledge the compliment in some way. We have only done it one week so far but each day before dinner the kids are always anxious to see if I have taken the plate out of the plate holder and put it in their place setting. I think it is really going to be wonderful tradition to have over the years.