Valentine's Day with Friends

As Valentine’s Day approaches I get all excited at the thought of getting a bright red box shaped like a heart full of little chocolate surprises. Some with nuts, some with caramels, some with those yummy sugary marshmallows, some with chocolate that squishes out at every bite, I can hardly wait! I just wanted to share one of my most memorable Valentines Day I ever had. I guess with the snow falling outside and the aroma of the fireplace burning inside, it has triggered a delightful memory that I just have to share with you. We were at our Lake Arrowhead house, and I invited a few friends over for a romantic weekend. I figured every one could use a break from the hectic schedules we had. I had a dozen red roses in each of their rooms as a surprise; the down comforters had all been fluffed. I had stocked up on some fine wines to share. I had made reservations in one of the most romantic restaurants on the Lake, had ordered flowers for our table to surprise my friends who were celebrating their anniversary on Valentines Day. Well, this particular Valentines Day turned out to be one of the largest snow storms in the history of Lake Arrowhead. As the last couple crept up into our driveway, we were all giddy (remind you we’re Californians) at the snow falling. As the snow flakes, the size of chicken feathers fell and accumulated outside we quickly realized that we were not going to be able to get out of our steep driveway. We called the restaurant where we had dinner reservations to cancel, and much to our surprise they offered to send a driver to pick us up. Well we were ecstatic, and up for the adventure…they sent a huge van to pick us up and all ten of us piled in and off we were. Let me tell you, that ride into town was like an “E” ticket at Disneyland®. The roads were treacherous and slick, we were all sliding around banging our heads, some major S.O.S. (slide over sweetheart) going on. We finally slid into our destination, had an awesome dinner and dessert, enjoyed some great wine, the flowers were beautiful and the fellowship of friends was one that I will never forget. We were the only ones in the restaurant that evening, but the memory and laughter we all shared that night was for a lifetime. As it turned out, what I thought would be a one night stand for Valentines Day, ended up being snowed in for days! We shared great conversations over breakfasts and lunch we had gourmet dinners, played in the snow, rode our sleds down the hill, played some pool, danced to the cool sounds of Motown, and just laughed our heads off! I’m reminded of Solomon’s - There Is A Time For Everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and time to rebuild. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to give grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak up. A time to love and a time to hate. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. That night God had made everything beautiful for its own time.

-Ecclesiastes 3:1-14