To Mine

Today is Valentine's Day. But just to show you that love transcends far beyond even the most hippy-drippy pre-packaged commercialized holidays, consider this small list.

Papa's Acts of Love

 

• Helping our sons blow their very runny noses.
• Cleaning up the faces of said runny-nosers.
• Washing dishes and cleaning counters.
• Making spaghetti with semi-homemade sauce and a multi-layered green salad.
• Sorting, washing, folding, and putting away laundry. Repeat times six.
• Washing dishes and cleaning counters. Again.
• Getting up at night to assist and comfort not one, not two, but three children who awake due to bathroom needs, feeding needs, and illness-I-feel-yucky needs. Repeat times four (or five or six. Hard to keep track.).
• Going to four different stores to find a warm mist vaporizer (after ours went kaput after hard running). 
• Fixing breakfast for the boys and eating with them (translation: keeping them out of trouble).
• Teaching Bible class, visiting shut-ins, and serving in pastoral capacities that transcend my understanding.
• Loving his wife, even when she doesn't do much (other than work really hard on a really great hairstyle after tossing on a pillow for six hours).

The real kicker? All this he has done in less than twenty-four consecutive hours.

He gets my vote for Man, Husband, and Father of the Century. Make that Millennium. Thanks anyway, St. Valentine!

A few years ago, pre-crop-of-kids. He looks even better today.