The day after Valentine's Day, I took the advice of Justin and Melanie Stanton on Facebook
and did my Valentine's Day shopping the day after,
and guess what?
While I was in the grocery store, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker that there were FREE Valentine balloons
as long as the supply lasted!
So when I got up front, I saw a crowd starting to collect around the strings from the floating balloons, and I got this gorgeous balloon marked $6.99.
I also got some other things [like chocolate peanut butter candies] at 50% off.
Valentine's Day evening, we decorated the table with this 98 cent tablecloth and pink plates.
Jonathan adores bacon-wrapped jalapenos and loves shrimp,
and Carrie's employer at the restaurant had sent a bag of shrimp home with her one day because they were not the kind of shrimp they had wanted for the restaurant.
So we had this luscious meal for Valentine's Day.
Rose had made Black Forest Cheesecake which is so utterly easy you need to ask her for the recipe.
It basically just takes cream cheese, sour cream, whipped topping [we used whipping cream as topping gives me a headache and has junk in it], sugar, and cocoa. You layer a white layer with half the mixture, then mix cocoa in the second half for the top.
And top it with cherries, and it is heavenly!
Around Valentines Day, I read an excerpt Ann Voskamp had shared in her blog from a book by Gary Thomas called
Cherish: The One Word That Changes Everything for Your Marriage.
Gary wrote how he and his wife discovered a promise they had made on their wedding day--and forgotten about.
The promise to cherish each other.
They hadn't just promised to love each other,
but to cherish each other.
"Love speaks of sacrifice, commitment, service, selflessness—all essential elements if a marriage is going to go the distance.
But cherish speaks of delight and adoration."
Gary wrote, "I don’t want my wife to think we live in the same house because the Bible says I can’t leave her; I want my wife to be cherished, to know she is “my dove, my perfect one, the only one” and that I would never want to be with anyone else.
A pastor asked seven men, “How many of your wives love you?”
Every hand went up.
He then asked, “How many of your wives like you?”
Every hand went down.
Each one of these men felt loved; none felt cherished...
"There’s a certain delight when you truly cherish someone you live with."
One way to distinguish “cherish” from “love,” he wrote, "is to consider the ballet. A ballerina has to be strong, athletic, and balanced. The moves are physically demanding. But those skillsets aren’t all that different from that of an NFL linebacker, who also must be strong, athletic and know how to stay on his feet. What sets the ballerina apart is the grace, the beauty, and the poetry.
Love is the athletic strength of marriage—unquestionably the supporting spiritual foundation of any union.
Cherish is the grace, the poetry, and the beauty of enjoyment. It takes your marriage to another level and makes it not only beautiful to dance, but beautiful for others to watch.
Just as 1 Corinthians 13 celebrates love, so the Song of Songs celebrates cherish:
Love is about being gracious and altruistic. “Love is patient, love is kind.” (1 Cor. 13:4)
Cherish is about being enthusiastic and enthralled. “How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume more than any spice.” (Song of Songs 4:10)
Love tends to be quiet and understated. “ does not envy, it does not boast.” (1 Cor. 13:4)
Cherish boasts boldly and loudly: “My beloved is radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand.” (Song of Songs 5:10)
Love thinks about others with selflessness. “Love is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking.” (1 Cor. 13:4-5)
Cherish thinks about its beloved with praise. “Your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.” (Song of Songs 2:14)
Love doesn’t want the worst for someone: “Love does not delight in evil.” (1 Cor. 13:6)
Cherish celebrates the best in someone: “How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!” (Song of Songs 1:15)
Love puts up with a lot: “ always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Cor. 13:7)
Cherish enjoys a lot. “His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely.” (Song of Songs 5:16)
Love is about commitment. “Love endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Cor. 13:7-8; ESV)
Cherish is about delight and passion. “Your name is like perfume poured out.” (Song of Songs 1:3)
Those were wonderful thoughts from Gary Thomas, and I for sure want to get this book sometime.
But cherish speaks of delight and adoration."
Gary wrote, "I don’t want my wife to think we live in the same house because the Bible says I can’t leave her; I want my wife to be cherished, to know she is “my dove, my perfect one, the only one” and that I would never want to be with anyone else.
A pastor asked seven men, “How many of your wives love you?”
Every hand went up.
He then asked, “How many of your wives like you?”
Every hand went down.
Each one of these men felt loved; none felt cherished...
"There’s a certain delight when you truly cherish someone you live with."
One way to distinguish “cherish” from “love,” he wrote, "is to consider the ballet. A ballerina has to be strong, athletic, and balanced. The moves are physically demanding. But those skillsets aren’t all that different from that of an NFL linebacker, who also must be strong, athletic and know how to stay on his feet. What sets the ballerina apart is the grace, the beauty, and the poetry.
Love is the athletic strength of marriage—unquestionably the supporting spiritual foundation of any union.
Just as 1 Corinthians 13 celebrates love, so the Song of Songs celebrates cherish:
Love is about being gracious and altruistic. “Love is patient, love is kind.” (1 Cor. 13:4)
Cherish is about being enthusiastic and enthralled. “How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume more than any spice.” (Song of Songs 4:10)
Love tends to be quiet and understated. “ does not envy, it does not boast.” (1 Cor. 13:4)
Cherish boasts boldly and loudly: “My beloved is radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand.” (Song of Songs 5:10)
Love thinks about others with selflessness. “Love is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking.” (1 Cor. 13:4-5)
Cherish thinks about its beloved with praise. “Your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.” (Song of Songs 2:14)
Love doesn’t want the worst for someone: “Love does not delight in evil.” (1 Cor. 13:6)
Cherish celebrates the best in someone: “How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!” (Song of Songs 1:15)
Cherish enjoys a lot. “His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely.” (Song of Songs 5:16)
Love is about commitment. “Love endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Cor. 13:7-8; ESV)
Cherish is about delight and passion. “Your name is like perfume poured out.” (Song of Songs 1:3)
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