Valentine's Day
I really didn't plan on writing
anything about Valentine's Day. I have mixed feelings about it.
I've been the person who was bitter over being alone. I've been the
one who celebrated it all out. Between church ministry and working
in a school, many of my Valentine's Day celebrations have been more
kid-friendly fun with cartoon character greeting cards and
chocolates. As I like both cartoons and chocolates, I'm cool with
this.
As a church history buff, I could talk
about the historical St. Valentine(s). I could be militantly opposed
to anything related to it. As somebody who is chronologically well
into adulthood but who turns into a quivering mass of
14-year-old-me-who-is-chunky-and-nerdy-and-can't-talk-and-doesn't-know-what-to-do-with-his-hands
most of the time when I attempt to be “romantic,” I could just
give up on that aspect of the whole thing.
Instead, well, here are two points--
One--just in case it matters to anyone,
I'm not giving up on the whole romance thing. I'm attempting to be a
little more confident in how I handle this stuff, and while I still
don't quite know what dating and romance look like for single people
in my age range, I'm starting to think that maybe that's okay.
Two—there is a kind of appropriation
or reclamation that can happen, and I got a good taste of that today.
As much as I talk and write about ministry, I do have a day job.
I'm a catalog librarian, but I also work with our teen programs.
We've recently started a Teen Advisory Board, and we have some pretty
amazing students. Well, the students wanted to distribute
Valentine's Day cards at a local rest home and rehabilitation
facility. There's been something of a stomach bug and a strain of
the flu going around, so only three of the kids were able to
participate in the visit—and they're all middle schoolers.
Oh. My. Goodness. These kids were
amazing. They didn't just hand out cards. They engaged. They
visited. They asked questions. They listened.
It was absolutely love in action. Some
residents don't necessarily have regular visitors, and they highly
valued just having someone to talk with.
It was beautiful, y'all.
This was easily, without a doubt, the
best (non-romantic) Valentine's Day. I think we all need more of
this in our lives, and, just maybe, we can take a step back and learn
something from some middle school kids who thought it was worth
taking some time out of their own lives to make somebody else's day
better.
So, have a fantastic Valentine's Day
with your significant other, if that's your thing. I might just
reclaim this day for a different kind of love—something selfless,
something Christlike. (I mean, while, you know, not giving up on the
romance thing—I mean, Hey, Girl. . . )
