February 13, 2009 Twas the night before Valentines Day

To say I am exhausted is an understatement, and I don't know why. It has been a long week, stress at work, stress at home, stress in the pocket book. My dad became dehydrated and spent the night at Good Samaritan Hospital. The dehydration caused his blood pressure to drop , starving his brain of blood and causing a mini stroke. Thankful, they hydrated him and released him today. What a difference a day can make.

While I am not a believer in Friday the 13th myths, isn't it ironic that Friday the 13th landed the day before Valentine's Day this year. Maybe most won't see the irony, but those of us who are not engaged in a romantic relationship might. I don't mean to be cynical but the day set aside for romance can be quite difficult and dreaded by those of us who are alone, not unlike the ominous dark cloud that hangs over the superstitious on Friday the 13th. Where am I going with this? Well maybe nowhere, I just thought it was an interesting segue to telling you about my 2009 Valentines.

No, there was no romantic interlude, no hot date, no such excitement, but I did receive a beautiful bouquet of roses from Mariana, Colin and Carrie. It made me cry, because I know the sacrifices she made to do something so selfless and thoughtful. God really blessed me big time when he gave me Mariana. Mariana is bright and beautiful, tenacious and driven, but she is also tender, thoughtful, kind and generous to a fault. She has been there for me in the the worst of times and I don't know how I would have survived the last 5 years without her. Please pray for her that God will bless her with abundant love overflowing.

And now, for all those romantically engaged, don't let this moment pass without a thought provoking gesture to your significant other. Don't be fooled by those who say it's just another day, it's not. While we should treat our love ones with random acts of kindness everyday, failure to do so on Valentines is most disappointing. Take if from me, one of the best gifts I ever got was not so much the gift, but the lengths taken, the planning and the execution....THAT WAS THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL....it showed my how much he cared.