TO MY VALENTINE...

I love you for the times you wake up in the morning before me and sneak out of bed so silently… just so that I won’t wake up from sleep…

I love you for the times you fix your own breakfast if I’m too tired or sleepy…

I love you for making sure you spend some time with baby in the mornings even when you’re getting ready hurriedly to leave for work…

I love you for the way you say ‘bye’ to baby (the game you play with her at the stair case) just so that she does not feel sad when you leave for work…

I love you for calling me up on your way to work and speaking to me on the way…

I love you for praying with me and for me, especially during times when I’m down and unable to pray…

I love you for listening to me as I share with you what God speaks to me. I love you for the interest you show and for the encouragement. I love you for putting in your feedback and views too…

I love you for always pushing and encouraging me to write and for believing in me…

I love you for being my prayer partner and spiritual mentor…

I love you for calling/ emailing/ smsing me during your day to let me know you’re thinking of me…

I love you for making me smile even when you’re not around…

I love you for calling me up on your way back from work…

I love you for sharing with me about your day…

I love you for listening to all my stories…

I love you for laughing at my silly mistakes and not getting angry or upset…

I love you for laughing when I am angry so that I end up laughing too…

I love you for listening to me when I am upset about something and talk about it with you. I love you for understanding…

I love you for knowing what to say when I am upset to bring me back…

I love you for changing from national geography/ animal planet/ history/ action movies etc. to something I would like to watch, when I join you on the couch to watch TV…

I love you for letting me have my ‘me’ time and relax, while you take over baby/ phone calls/ door bells during that time…

I love you being secure in yourself…

I love you for being respectful…

I love you for explaining things to me without being condescending. I love you for keeping up with me…

I love you being so mature and yet being so childish sometimes…

I love you for being faithful and loyal…

I love you for standing up for me…

I love you for all the ways you make our baby laugh...

I love you for all the ways you make me laugh…

I love you for the look on her face when she sees you’re back from work…

I love you for being so good at changing her diapers, putting her to sleep, feeding her, cleaning her up…

I love you for hanging out with my friends…

I love you for hanging out with my family and loving them and praying for and being supportive of them.

I love you for your amazing family (some of my best friends are from there and I do enjoy talking to them)…

I love you for being encouraging and appreciative about my cooking…

I love you for the times you’ve been patient when I try out new recipes that sometimes turn out bad…

I love you for cooking for me…

I love you for taking me out for dinners/ lunches…

I love you that whenever you find I’m tired you order for dinner outside…

I love you for the back/ foot/ sole massages when I’m tired…

I love you for taking care of me when I’m unwell, for pushing me to take medicines or see a doc…

I love you for being patient with me when I am unreasonably fussy and nervous at the hospital/ dentist…

I love you for being so good at everything…

I love you that you can fix everything in the house and we don’t need an electrician, plumber, technician or whoever else…

I love you for knowing your flaws and admitting when you’re wrong and being secure enough to apologise…

I love you for knowing my flaws and yet accepting me as I am and not being judgemental or boasting and for forgiving and letting go…

I love you for the appreciations, the compliments...

I love you for all the I love yous…

I love you for all the shopping…

I love you for all the trips and vacations…

I love you for having the most beautiful eyes…

I love you for being such an amazing father to our baby…

I love you for being such an amazing husband, a wonderful friend, my prayer partner, my spiritual mentor…

You absolutely complete me !!!

Happy Valentine's Day !!!

1 Peter 3:7 - Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

Ephesians 5:28, 29 - Even so husbands should love their wives as [being in a sense] their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and carefully protects and cherishes it, as Christ does the church,

THE ‘NO REASON HUGS’

My baby is 9 months now. Wow, does time fly !!! She makes every day beautiful with her smile and laughter and giggles and squeals. Oh and she talks so much. There was a time I would tell her stories, read her stories… but now, when I take out a story book, before I can start, she starts off… turning the pages, pulling at the book and at the same time saying so much… I really wish I could understand all that she says. She sounds so wonderful and definitely what she says must be wonderful too. She’s such an amazing gift from God… such an amazing amazing gift from God.

She sometimes gives her own version of hugs and kisses. She would hold our necks tight with both her hands – that’s her hug. And if she is really excited or happy, her hug would be accompanied with a happy sound that goes ‘oooo’ J. And she would put her mouth on our cheeks for about two seconds or so, covering our whole cheeks with her drool – and that’s her kiss. Ain’t that the best feeling in the whole wide world!!!

There are times when she’s playing or just sitting on my lap and doing something or just busy in her own world and she turns around and gives me a hug. I like to call these hugs the ‘no reason hugs’. And sometimes these are totally unexpected. I would think she’s probably busy playing or investigating (she’s a very curious baby!!) or whatever stuff babies do, and suddenly she’d turn around to give a hug or a kiss. And the feeling that such hugs and kisses give me is indescribable. They give such a warm, happy, beautiful feeling.

These ‘no reason hugs’ my baby gives actually do not have a reason. It’s not because I have just fed her or because I am playing with her or because I am telling her a story or whatever. These are when she’s busy in her own world and suddenly decides to look at me and give me her hug or kiss. And then mostly she just goes back to whatever she was at, while I am feeling all gooey and mushy.

There was this day when she was looking at my face. I didn’t realise that and just continued with whatever I was doing. She then lifted her small cute hand and touched my face with the palm of her hands. I turned to look at her and saw her looking at me with those big beautiful eyes. She looked at me for probably a second or two and then went back to whatever she was at. My eyes just teared up looking at this small beautiful baby and the love she has for me.

I remember thinking today about my baby’s ‘no reason hugs’ while on the way back from church and that set me thinking about God. He is my parent and loves me as a parent and a lot more than I could ever love my baby. He would be excited just as I was if I gave him my ‘no reason hugs’. Have I ever given Him a ‘no reason hug’? I mean, not because you blessed my day and solved my problems and forgave all my sins. But just like tht – for no reason at all. I am going to start giving God my ‘no reason hugs’ just to say I love Him. I know that’s going to make Him feel really really happy and maybe all gooey and mushy too. Because His love is so much much more than I could ever love my baby.

It probably wouldn’t take much time. It takes my baby just 5 seconds or more to give me a hug or a kiss or even just a smile. But even after she returns to her play, I still feel on top of the world. That’s how I imagine God would feel too. I am going to take time throughout my day to look up at his face and smile at him and tell him I am thinking of Him and I remember Him not for any reason as such but just to say I love Him. I think God would value that oh so much and that would just warm his heart. J It would be amazing to make an Amazing God feel that way !!!

Hebrew 3: 1 - …fix your thoughts on Jesus…

Jeremiah 12: 3 - …O LORD; you see me and test my thoughts about you…