In honor of love

This time of year is always kind of dreary, or at least it has been since my trek west from the land of sunshine. February blues. Blah. Add in a holiday that can put stress on even the strongest of relationships and you've got a potentially bad combination. But I'm determined that this month's holiday is all what one makes of it. I believe that if it is viewed as a celebration of all types of love (and if one is not held to an unrealistic expectation of ostentatious or perfect expressions of that love on one, arbitrary day) it really can be a lovely day, single or coupled.

It is always good for me to stop and think about the things that I love, the things that bring me joy. There exist the obvious objects of my deepest love: Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ; my parents, nine brothers, one sister, and 34 nieces and nephews; the gospel; the temple; scriptures - really, the eternal things in my life. Then there are other, perhaps more transitory things that tickle and touch my heart deeply, things that enrich my life experience simply because they feel unique to my mortal existence. Here they are, in no particular order:

cookies
walking in the rain without an umbrella
walking barefoot (in the rain, without an umbrella)
blankets
sunsets, preferably on the beach
blustery days
holding hands
playing "Once There Was a Snowman" with my brothers
staying up late talking
midnight thunder storms
working hard
getting dirty - the kind of dirty where you're still finding dirt in your ears days later even though you're positive you've scrubbed and scrubbed
playing so hard it hurts for days afterwards, maybe even earned a scar or two
children in other countries
speaking Spanish
England
celebrating victories big and small with friends and family
getting back rubs and having my hair combed
looking at pictures of my family
fireplaces and armchairs
coming up with the perfect gift or act of service, and that feeling right before it's given
holding and kissing a newborn baby and/or any child that wants to be held and kissed
making kids laugh
dancing dancing dancing
loving deeply
the smell and feel of the air when I walk out of the San Diego airport
being disciplined
feeling the spirit
singing for people who love music
good literature
dreaming and hoping
Dad's difficulty in commencing family prayer once he gets laughing
Mom's difficulty in remembering whether it's "Texas Walker Ranger" or "Walker Texas Ranger" (and other verbal mishaps)
laughter in general
reliving good memories
telling stories to a captive audience
keeping a journal and watching growth and revelation unfold
being obedient
asking questions
learning new skills

I could write story after story about "Once There Was a Snowman" mishaps, FHE games such as human chess, Crows and Cranes, and "Buckle buckle beanstalk (anyone else just have visions of John shaking his bum on the couch?), Brian's ballerina escapades (he never would have called back for a second date anyway, Brian - no worries), the Great Dalmudi, midget skits, Transformer wars, "Sleigh Ride," Kibbles and Bits, being tied to the piano (I'm still plotting my revenge), etc. etc. etc. However, no one comes to a blog to listen to me relive my childhood memories. So, instead I'll just leave you with these sentiments...

...and maybe one youtube clip. Men, please don't judge me, but what would a Valentine's Day celebration be without Jane Austen. I am a Jane Austen lover, but you should know it is not because I think any of these men actually exist. I appreciate Austen's commentary on various relationships, her acknowledgement of the ridiculousness of some situations and the unlikely existence of any Darcy's or Knightly's in their truest forms (this sentiment is lost in movie adaptations but is alive and well in her books). However, I do believe the depth of friendship and love described does exist. That being said, I think this clip is hilarious and have chosen it as an appropriate ending for my piece celebrating love. Really, I just need to give you all the laugh you came to this blog for. :) Next week will be more entertaining, I promise.