Valentine's

Valentines, oh Valentines.

I love this day. A day to decorate, enjoy, smile, and rest in all things love.  I think I am one of few people in the world who is content to watch Valentine's day go on around me. To watch people gift each other, convey value and love, yet not be experiencing it myself, and I'm blissfully content with that.

Although, when it comes down to it, I have some love shout outs of my own to give. My cheerleaders who no matter what, are there for me.

Momma

The woman who knows me best and deepest. My mother with the sincere heart and rich words that reroute me constantly back to the Lord. Her genuine spirit that doesn't patronize me with half truths. My mother who leans hard into the Lord and hard into her family. The woman from whom I received the blood coursing through me. She is the one who sang me "Feed the Birds," instilled in my sister and myself the love to create, and makes the best homemade bread. The mother from whom I have received a passionate love for Starbucks. This mother, she is a grace.

Sister
My sister, the deep lover of beauty, the one with the eye for creating. The opposite of myself, a fighter. She who has given me freedom to think and be different with grace-filled eyes. She who has frustrated me to pieces has become a dear staple in my life. She encompasses honesty, passion, and fervor. The curly haired one with the refusal to settle. My sister, the believer in students, the heart-changer who chooses to look differently. I love her dearly.

Daddy
I am his Guppy. My father from whom comes my calves and virtually nothing else. I am the daughter of a strong leader. He is the man who shows me Godly provision and selflessness fleshed out. The man who takes me for ice cream and bar-be-que and listens to me ramble on. The man so vested in my life who never ceases to amaze me. My dad, the tiler of floors, killer of spiders, and reader of American Girls, this man filled my childhood with so much life. This man fills my young adulthood with so much love. He believes in me and I am honored to be his daughter.

These, the people I choose to celebrate this Valentine's.

#12 My Valentine's