Today
is that day that any self-respecting single person wishes would go by
very quickly – Valentine’s Day. I was venting this afternoon when
one of by best friends, Sheila Vest, said something that got me to
thinking. On a day where we celebrate love and beauty, there’s a
lot of other things that aren’t exactly male-female related. I came
up with ten. Maybe these will put a smile on your face and a beat in
your heart – even if the romance level in your life on this
February 14 might be low. LOL...You’re not alone...
- A Grandparent’s Love – Over the past few months, I have noticed this first hand with a lot of grandparents. But, I have to say that there’s one in particular that always makes me smile just a bit. I’m not going to name names, as I don’t know him that well. But, there’s a gentleman who goes to Church where I do, and on those occasions where he has his grandson with him, it’s pretty heartwarming to see this man become a kid all over again himself. It’s a sight to see, especially when the grandson tries to move his hands like the songleader. Grandpa’s smile says it all.
- Friends – I mentioned that it was a friends’ comment today that led to this post. Though I currently don’t have a Juliet, I am exceedingly blessed to have many friends in my life who would do anything for me – and have great faith in me. Love doesn’t always have to be a romantic thing, and I am grateful for that
- Music – With me, it’s not just something that I do for a living. I don’t know if I could exist without the thrill of hearing an artist or a CD for the first time, or getting to play a song that someone hasn’t heard in years. It’s something that is as much a part of me as oxygen, and that’s no cliché. I know that I couldn’t have made it through the past few years without it.
- Sunshine – This is simple. Think of how good it feels to be out in the sun after a few days of coldness and cloud cover. Your excitement level is so much higher. Light is a good thing.
- A Small Town On A Friday Night – Since 1995, one of the most enjoyable parts of what I do is getting to cover High School football. There is something special about pulling into a town about six o’clock on a Friday afternoon. 95% of the time you don’t even have to ask directions to the stadium if you don’t know where it is. And, when they turn the lights on, it’s an excitement level that you can’t deny. Play ball!
- Animals – Since I was three years old, and my Uncle gave me my first dog – a collie named Lassie, animals have been very close to my heart. There’s a joke that people say sometimes about loving their animals more than some humans. I can’t say that’s not true sometimes. An animal loves you regardless of what you have done or haven’t done – and it can’t be bought. There was a book called Last Bus To Albuquerque by one of my favorite authors, Lewis Grizzard, after his death in 1994. On the back of the sleeve, it had an illustration of him walking up to the pearly gates, and all of his pets coming to greet him. I don’t know what Heaven is or isn’t going to be, but that sounds very nice.
- The Land / Whether it be rural areas in Tennessee or Kentucky, the urban areas of places like New York, or mountainous areas in Virginia, or driving down the Pacific Coast Highway – this Land, which coincidentally, is your land....is a very beautiful place to be!
- Children – Kids are very different creatures. They can do things that adults just can’t get away with. Tonight, at Church, we had a dinner before. One of the kids came up to their parents wanting dessert. His father told him ‘You just ate Macaroni. You gotta eat something more.’ The child didn’t get his dessert, but he held true to his convictions – he didn’t eat anything else either. Children are something special, and what comes out of their mouths and hearts is priceless – and it causes us as parents to conjure up the sayings of one Bill Cosby – though we are not as funny.
- Teachers – Typically, we only have a teacher for just a few months of our lives. That doesn’t mean they don’t stop caring about us. Over the holidays, I found this to be true as I received a card from one of my favorite teachers wondering how I had been doing over the past year. That meant a lot. And, so many of my teachers that I have had over the years – I still learn from to this day.
- God’s Love – I am not going to get preachy here, but also I did want to let this be known. Do you know of anyone who is going to love and care about you regardless of what you do or say? That’s God for you. I can say that in the past four years, there have been some ups and some downs. I know that I wouldn’t have made it this far without him. I also know that I can’t make it to where I am headed...without him, either.
So...Happy
Valentines’ Day to all who are in love this year, and for those who
aren’t, hey, it happens when you least expect it, right? So, I am
not going to expect it tomorrow...is that cheating?
