HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-12-20, Page 31THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2000. PAGE 31.
One Valentine's Day, my wife
surprised me with an original way
of showing her love. Through the
course of morning chores, I
discovered handmade Valentines
posted in various locations around
the bam. She had sneaked out
some time in the winter evening
to put them there. It was fun to
discover the first few. Then the
pleasure grew into an adventure. I
found about 20 of them. It was
like a smile that begins as a grin
and gets wider until your cheeks
hurt and then you burst out
laughing. Even today I smile
when I think about her wandering
around the bam considering
where to put them. She must have
planned this for awhile. Each
heart had a different statement
written that said, "I'll love you
for-heifer-'n-heifer." Normally I
don't like working in the cold. The
Valentine was a great distraction.
The A.I. technician enjoyed it
later that day as well.
"I'll never forget when at the
age of seventeen a lady looked
me full in the face and with a
genuine smile disarmingly said,
"My, but you have a beautiful
smile!"
Having very low self-esteem
and not thinking there was
anything beautiful about me, I
went right home and looked
disbelievingly in the mirror. To
my surprise when I smiled, I saw
a beautiful smile.
I have never forgotten this
sincere compliment and it has
affected me in my whole life
where I smile often.
I was sick and tired in bed. I
was itchy and trying to watch t.v.
I had the chicken pox. Every day,
my brothers brought home a bag
filled with homework from
school. I had homework every
night and as I did my homework,
I itched. Itched on my neck,
itched on my tummy, I itched
everywhere. Some days, as I
opened the bag, a treat fell out. It
was somebody's birthday that I
missed. For two weeks all I had
was homework, itches and t.v.
One day when I opened the bag,
yes, I did find the usual
homework, but I also found
something else! Cards!
Handmade cards from every
classmate! They had flowers,
hearts, rainbows, and pictures of
me even. The cards said things
like: "I hope you feel better." "I
love you." "I miss you." I felt so
loved. It's been a couple of years
since I had the chicken pox, but I
saved the cards. Whenever I read
them again, I still feel a warm
fuzzy.
Most memorable to me are my
daughter's little notes of love to
me found on my pillow before I
go to bed at night. They always
make me smile!
A wonderful expression of love
came in a silent form in my late
teenage years. I had had a falling
out with my boyfriend. I
remember calling home from a
pay phone desperately wanting
someone to come, pick me up and
take me home. I did not want him
to take me home.
The phone rang. No one
answered. A friend came to the
pay phone booth and said, "Just
let him take you home." Having
no other options, I reluctantly
conceded. The boyfriend took me
home.
Once home, I lamented to my
parents — "I tried and tried to get
you. Why didn't you answer?
My mother felt terrible. It was
late. They had gone to bed. The
phone was in the kitchen. They
hadn't heard a thing.
My father was a man of few
words. Sometimes I felt that I
didn't really know him at all nor
did he know me. But, something
happened the next day to change
all that.
When I got home from school, I
noticed something different. On
my father's nightstand, next to the
bed, was a new phone. I was
astounded. This happened in the
days when most people had one
black dial phone in the house.
Nothing was ever said, but I knew
my father loved me.
This is something I remember
from my childhood. It was at a
time when my cousins and I were
together a lot. We were about ten
years old and skinny enough to fit
side by side in a comfy armchair.
That summer we spent a few days
at my cousin's older sister's home.
She had been married for some
time and it was exciting to be able
to stay over and visit with her and
her husband. She was always very
good to us. And she must have
been, because for some reason,
inexplicable to me at the time; my
married cousin was always sick.
Very sick, it seemed. In the
middle of making supper, she
would suddenly dash to the sink.
(Years later, expecting a child of
my own, I knew the reason!) I
remember sitting in that armchair
feeling so sorry for her. I also
remember feeling a great need to
look away. It's not a pretty sight.
Which is maybe why I remember
it so clearly. I can still picture this
today. My cousin retching at the
kitchen sink; her husband
standing right next to her, holding
her hair away from her face. And
I remember thinking "He really
loves her!"
I remember a time when I was
struggling emotionally and
physically, I had been laid up for
about three years and had spent
the last several months in bed
with severe pain! One night when
I was at the end of my wits, a
man's name came to mind that I
had met a few times in the past
year. I hunted up his business card
and called his phone number. We
spent well over an hour on the
phone that night, he listened, we
cried, he spoke, we prayed
together. We have had a real bond
grow between us since that night.
It is amazing what a warm heart
and a listening ear can do for a
weary soul!
This past summer, we had an
opportunity presented to us on
Wednesday to go with a group of
friends on Sunday to "Kingdom
Bound" — a get-together of
10,000 Christians of all ages held
at Darien Lake, U.S.A. Having
limited income, we knew it wasn't
feasible for us to go. It was
brought up for prayer at my Bible
Study group. To my amazement
and wonder, I received a $100
cheque in the mail on Friday from
a girlfriend who designated it to
be for us to go to Darien Lake.
What a blessing from a dear
friend and what a joyful holiday
we had!
Being suddenly taken into a
family of middle aged adults with
a son in his late twenties, I was
instantly a daughter and a sister.
Their encompassing love made
me one of the family! They loved
me as if I had been bom into the
household.
Some years ago, while I was
expecting my sixth child, I came
down with mono. Of course you
can imagine how sick and tired I
was and how busy I also was
looking after my other five
children. I had spent a few days in
the hospital and upon returning
home, I received a phone call
from an acquaintance who had
asked if she could pick up my kids
during the day so I could rest. It
sure helped my recovery by not
having my kids underfoot while I
spent my days sleeping.
A couple of summers ago I
received bums to my face and
shoulders when I pulled a lawn
chair from a campfire. I was
amazed at how many people sent
cards to me, prayed and also
called to see how I was doing.
This Christmas...
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Whoever does not love does not know God.
because God is love.
This is how God showed his love amonf> us.
He sent his only Son into the world
that we might live through him.
1 John 4:7-9
...express your love
...send a note
...encourage someone
...smile
...offer a listening ear
...give your time
...release a tear
...share the great
love of Jesus!
May you be blessed with joy, hope, peace and LOVE
this Christmas!
■* /
- Blyth Christian Reformed Church