Triumphant Love

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When our children were very small and we lived in Oxford, Mississippi, we came to Middle Tennessee often to see my parents and Ray’s dad and step-mom (Ray’s mother died soon after his parents’ thirtieth anniversary; he married again a few years later and they were married for twenty!).

At the time Nashville, Tennessee, had a theme park called Opryland, USA. The rides were fun; but, with its location in Music City, USA, its musical shows were really good. Mother and Daddy loved it. They bought season tickets every summer and enjoyed driving over to Opryland for dinner and a show after Daddy got off work. Our family looked forward to an outing at Opryland when we visited my parents in the summer.

My daddy liked silliness. When I was growing up, he bought silly souvenirs. We had salt and pepper shakers shaped like bare feet and outhouses. We had a hula dancer for the dashboard of the car. That was Daddy–the sillier the better. When I come across something like a battery-operated singing and dancing Elvis Presley in a Santa suit, I wish Daddy were still here so I could give it to him.

One time when we were at Opryland, Daddy was gone for a few minutes (he was always sauntering away from everyone else to get a cup of coffee or something). When he came back he handed me this:

Ray and I went out to supper on Valentine’s evening. I like to get dressed up sometimes, so I wore a dressy pants suit with high heel boots, dangle-y earrings, and a statement necklace. Looking a bit out of place on my jacket was the Opryland button I wear every year on Valentine’s Day.

I’m a people watcher and I enjoyed looking around at the other parties at the restaurant. I only remember seeing one other couple sitting by themselves at a table. Beside us were what appeared to be a grandmother with a daughter or two and some grandchildren. At another table were a man, two women, and a couple of children. Nearby were a family with a mom, a dad, and two boys about eleven and twelve who wore matching T-shirts. At one point, the boy facing my way was standing up, obviously relating something to his family that he found very interesting. I saw his mother give him a hug.

As I looked around, I thought how wonderful it was that each of these groups were out together on a Saturday evening, celebrating Valentine’s Day together. I was hesitant to write to you about Daddy and Ray and Valentine’s Day, because I know that not all of you had a loving relationship with a sweet daddy and that, for various reasons, not all of you had the possibility of a Valentine’s Day dinner with a husband of many years. I know that I am very, very blessed with a loving Heavenly Father, a loving husband, and the memory of a loving daddy. I am very grateful.

Some of you have shared personal stories with me. I am awed at the ways you live triumphant lives in the midst of circumstances you would rather were very different.

Like these heroines do and have done, each of us has the opportunity today to show love to the people God has placed in our lives. We have the chance to give our children the best foundation we can. We can create loving memories with the people God has given us today.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23

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