A Note from Grandma

A couple of times today I heard references being made to Valentine's Day as a "fake holiday" and "a commercial holiday". Maybe that's partially true, but hey, a day set aside to give people an excuse a chance to say "I love you" and eat chocolate isn't all bad.

That being said, as I have been sorting through closets and boxes, I came across something I'd like to share. This was from 1999, I was taking an English Composition class an d my topic was Romance. I asked Grandma Bender to give me her thoughts on romance. This is what I found:

Grandma wrote this at the top of the piece of notebook paper so I'd known where she'd gotten her thoughts from. She didn't want me plagiarizing on a college paper after all!

 (taken from Ann Landers) 



"Love is quiet understanding and the mature acceptance of imperfection. It is real. 
It gives you strength and grows beyond you to bolster your beloved. You are warmed by his presence, even when he is away. Miles do not separate you. You want him nearer. But near or far, you know he is yours and you can trust. 

Love means trust. You are calm, secure, and un-threatened. He feels that trust and it makes him even more trustworthy. 

Love is an upper. It makes you look up. It makes you think up. It makes you a better person than you were before."

(That is real, solid romance based on the foundation of Jesus Christ our Lord.)
Grandma 


My Grandma and Grandpa were in love. Mushy, hand-holding, kiss-sneaking love. But they were also in love with Jesus Christ, and along with the example that was given of how Christ loved the church, so they too loved each other. In the good times and the bad. When they didn't agree with each and when they did. My dad, as a boy, watched his parents and learned how to honor and love his own wife someday. Then I watched my parents and I learned. Now, Leo and I are an example for our own children. Believe me, they've seen the "for better" and the "for worse", but I hope what they all remember is that the love we share with each other wouldn't be anything more than a commercial holiday "I love you" without the grace and forgiveness that comes with having God as not only the foundation, but the core of our relationship.

So now, with that being said, I am still a fan of chocolate and there may have been Mocha Brownies and milk for dessert for this Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day!
Dianne