A mid-February Love Story.

Oh yes, it's February 14th...Valentine's Day or Singles Awareness Day...or just another Friday.

Yes, I am single.
Yes, I am fully aware.
And yes, I have yet to date someone and have that relationship coincide with this auspicious day.

However, today I am thinking of more than just candy hearts, or flowers, or chocolates or the countless date night photos I see plastered all over social media.

Today I am thinking of a love story from my own ancestry.


I am thinking of a young soldier with red hair stationed in northern BC over 60 years ago and a feisty small-town girl, eight years his junior.

I am thinking of how he must have smiled at her, gazing through those beautiful hazel eyes and how her cheeks must have blushed.

I wonder how they spent their first ever Valentine's Day. Perhaps a card or note was exchanged, or flowers or another gift. Maybe a walk together, holding hands, talking of nothing or maybe planning their future together.

Pops, Grandma & Me

I don't know all of their stories, but I do know of a great love that began a legacy that continues in my own life.

A legacy of cherishing family.

A great love for God and others.

A fieriness and a spirit that is stubborn and strives to live and not let tragedy or difficult circumstances rule.

 My grandparents showed me how to love.

They showed me how to treat others.

They oozed God's love and proved that trusting God may not be easy, but it's worth letting go and letting God work through your life.

They showed me that no matter what background you come from or what hardships you face, you can surround yourself with sorrow or you can live another day and find joy. It is a choice.

Pops, Grandma & Me on a road trip to Hyder, Alaska for the day.

They also taught me that we do not have to make this choice alone. If we choose joy, God will bring it. Maybe not in the way we asked, but He will reward us and lead us toward the joy He knows will enrich our lives and show others the way towards Him.

Grandma Dot, what a lady!

I am thinking of my Grandmother tonight, as she is surrounded by a few family members and nurses and doctors in a hospital bed in the north.
I am remembering.

And I am thanking God, though I feel a stab of grief at the thought of her fading away. She loved. She is loved. She will be forever loved by those who knew her. She is always a thought ahead and always has a witty, cheeky word to say.
She is a woman like no other.

I am thinking of how I would like to live.

Like my grandparents lived. 

Choosing joy.
Loving others.
Trusting God.

Happy February 14th.