So all you chicks reading this blog, are you expecting anything from your boyfriend or husband tomorrow? Do you like to celebrate Valentine's Day? Or do you look at it as just another holiday thought up by the greeting card companies?
Husbands and boyfriends, does tomorrow fill you with dread? Do you know you're expected to come through with something to commemorate the day, but you know already it won't be good enough?
The cynical part of me wants to think tomorrow is just a day for florists to make extra money. The prideful, independent part of me wants to think that of course my husband and I don't need to do anything for Valentine's Day. We know we love each other, right?
However, there's the other part of me that knows that marriage is important, and wants to nurture it. Not that this needs to be done with expensive gifts or a fancy dinner. But why not celebrate love, on the day that is ostensibly all about love?
The International Women's Forum is promoting tomorrow as a day to Take Back the Date. Sounding very much in line with the premise about modern culture featured in The Thrill of the Chaste, the IWF's research has found that "college relationships are more often nothing more than awkward drunken make-out sessions." Ones that don't lead to anything further, but fill an inner longing, at least for a moment. So in contrast to modern feminists who want to make Valentine's Day all about their private areas, the IWF encourages women to let men act like gentlemen, for men to take women out on dates that involve more than the physical, to buy them flowers, open doors for them. Even to ask a guy out yourself if you are interested in him.
Yes, I know my husband loves me. But I like being taken care of by my husband. I like that he has chocolate stashes hidden away for me for those bad days. I like it that he will make me up a big chocolate milkshake, with chocolate shavings and an attractive dusting of cocoa powder, for those extra bad days. However he shows his love for me tomorrow, I need to appreciate it, and be thankful to God, that He brought us together and helps keep us together, and to my husband, that he wants to make me happy and take care of me. (Although, since my husband works for a major greeting card company, with a large greeting card store right inside the building, that ALSO offers fresh flowers, he really has no excuse. Love ya, hon!)
Women, we also need to take care of our men. They may not want a large bouquet or flowery card, but we can and should show our husbands that we love them. Maybe lots of big hugs, or a bottle of scotch. :)
Of course we should be showing love every day! But we're human; we all have bad days when we're grumpy or sick or tired or stressed. Why not take advantage of a day made to show love, and really show the man or woman in our life that we care? God is love, after all. Let's enjoy the gift that God has given to us, of loving and being loved.
4 comments:
Hi Barb,
Well, tomorrow will be just another day for me, but I always hold out hope that maybe the next one will be different. :-)
It sounds like IWFs research is right on the money. (No wonder the radical feminists hate them so much.) My sister is a graduate student and teaches classes. She told me that dating -- going out for dinner and a movie -- is pretty much a foreign concept to most of her students. In fact, they think it's rather corny. It's been replaced by casual hookups. My sister was shocked when she found out how widespread this attitude is.
So since the beginning of the last century, we've gone from courtship, to dating, to casual hookups. I think IWFs idea is a noble one -- I hope it can catch on.
Me too, Susan. (big hug) Hope you feel God's gracious love and the love of friends today.
I'm a lucky girl (can you hear Faith Hill?)! For Valentine's Day I got chocolate and a bottle of BV : )
Thank you Barb! :-) I really have a lot of blessings and a lot to be thankful for. Sometimes I forget that.
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