Valentine's Day

Now normally this is a day most dreaded for me. If your a Marine Corps wife, you can understand. I think I have shared maybe 3 Valentine's Days with my husband since we have been married. Otherwise, my man packs up and flies out in January only to return 7 months later. So today is a unique day. I get to see my husband and share with him in this momentous occasion. So for today, I will put up my black sweater that I normally would wear on this day and wear the red one. I am so blessed to have a husband who is 100 % dedicated to me and his family and most importantly to Christ. After almost 10 years of marriage and I still find myself falling in love with him more with each passing day. I know this sounds cliche, but it is true. It is through this life we share together that we grow in each others love. I cherish him as my friend, husband, and children's father. It is through him that I find myself. I believe the marriage we have built can only be found through the love of Christ that we have put in the center of our family and each others lives. For we know that Christ is the ultimate source of love and that he paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we can embrace him and all there is to offer in this life.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son so that he who believes in him may have everlasting life.

So today, I am going to embrace this gift that has been given to me from my heavenly Father. I will take mental snapshots of the time and moments spent with my husband and children on this day, so that next year, when my husband is gone for another Valentine's day, I will have these to reflect upon. I will keep these memories as a reminder that I am not only loved on this day, but all throughout the year!

Beaufort on my mind

Today I heard that it is snowing in Beaufort and my hometown Pensacola today. This is hard to believe considering how warm it is there on a typical winter day. I guess the weather did not get the memo on global warming. I wish I was there watching it snow. Seeing friends pictures of the momentous occasion has been thrilling. It is great seeing the snow fall on their little ones faces, while the palm trees blow in the wind behind them.

My dearest friend

So I have not written in quite some time and I know I am probably writing to myself since I only have one follower. But today I write as a way to fill my heart with warmth and not sadness. Today I had a realization that life does change and people age and subsequently pass away. This past year, our family has lost a grandma to cancer and a grandfather to a heart attack. These losses has been huge for our family and has come to remind me of how precious life is and that we should not take one day for granted and tell the ones we love the most just how much we love and care for them, even if the moment does not feel right. Because one day the time will come when you can't say or do anything at all.

Today, I took my dearest friend in to the vet for a check-up and learned that the lump on my dogs neck could be cancer. The room fell silent and again I could feel my heart race just as it did with the loss of our other family members. I remember looking at him and he seemed to smile, but he noticed my emotions and drew nearer to me, as if to give me comfort. As the doctor told us to go to the waiting area I reflected on what was just told to me and I thought about the playful labrador retrievers that were there waiting for their appt. They were hyper and moving from one place in the room to the other, not minding who they may take down on their way. I looked at my labrador retriever and he was calm, sitting, right next to me. Knealing perfectly as if he had completed obedience school. For a moment, I remembered him as that puppy. Full of energy and excited about what was to come. I also remember wishing when he was that puppy that he would be that calm dog sitting next to his owner with exquisite obedience and today he was that calm dog. However, my heart broke as now I realized what comes with that maturity. Now to a normal person, someone might note he his a pet, just a dog and I know this to be true, but he is my dog. Many people have found the love in the movie Marley and Me, but for me I lived that same life with my lab. The movie for me just reaffirmed my love for him. He is my confident, comforter, playmate, and friend. He has been someone to cry on and to. He has watched over my children, cradling them and fostering their love of animals. His patience and trusting love has touched our family as much as any other family member would.

So today, I am reminded just how precious my sweet Maverick is to me. I pray that the doctor is wrong and that I can savor this precious time with him, but in my heart, I know I am just on borrowed time. So for now I am relishing in his company, taking extra pictures, giving extra scratches, treats and most of all telling him over and over how much we love him.