Tag-Archive for » simple «

1137562_book_of_love_1This year finances are tight, so we are spending Valentine’s Day at home—keeping it simple, special, and inexpensive. Here are my plans, but don’t tell Tom!

Here are 5 Ways to Make Valentine’s Day Simple

 

1.  Simple—Buy an inexpensive journal from the Dollar Store and begin a Valentine’s Journal for the love of your life. List the ways this person blesses you, reminds you of Jesus, and deepens your spiritual journey.

Record a favorite memory or the words to a song that speaks of your relationship. Tape a photo onto one of the pages or add the menu from the coffee shop you frequent together.

A Scripture from Song of Solomon or a poem placed here and there throughout the journal gives the book a romantic feel. Include a note in the front of the journal explaining your intentions of adding to the book in the years ahead.

2.  Simple—Enrich the atmosphere by using your finest dishes for a home cooked, special dinner and adding flowers or candles to the table. Pull out a CD you haven’t listened to in ages and play it for background music during the evening. You can also choose the genre of music that appeals to you on Pandora and play it free from your laptop. Eat, dance, and share the memories that mark your relationship as special.

3.  Simple—Do an Internet search for romantic quotes you can copy onto slips of paper. Leave these scattered around the house for your lover to find. For example, tape one to the bathroom mirror, another to the closet door, leave some on the bed pillow and put several on your dinner plates.

4.  Simple—Arrange for the children to be gone. We have given our teenagers several options for the evening—all away from home. If you have younger children, put them to bed early or see if a friend will take them for a few hours. If needed, trade childcare with another couple and celebrate Valentine’s Day on separate days. This way each couple can enjoy an evening free of the responsibility of children.

5.  Simple—Pray. Ask the Lord to bless your time together and honor it with his presence. After all, he is the Lover of your soul and your eternal Bridegroom. I think he knows a thing or two about romance!

What unique ideas can you add to this list? What Valentine’s Day traditions can you share with us? Write your thoughts in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

1078391_pegsThe New Year comes. May you experience the gift of simple days where the Holy walks with the ordinary. “I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God” (Eccl. 3:12–13 NIV).

Sometimes I forget to notice the simple joys that comprise my daily routine. A morning kiss served with a cup of coffee, the fresh smell of laundry cleaned, a meal together at the end of the day—these are the threads weaving my life into holy days.

Most of us are oblivious to the Holy tucked away in the corners of our life. We want the sparkle and flashing lights that come with the announcement of angels and the riches of the wise men. But Christmas is over and a New Year awaits us. I hope this year to embrace the simple more.

In The Rest of God, Mark Buchanan comments, “This is a gift of God: to experience the sacred amidst the commonplace—to taste heaven in our daily bread, a new heaven and new earth in a mouthful of wine, joy in the ache of our muscles or the sweat of our brows.”

Where do you find the sacred amidst the commonplace? What are the simple joys that tie the Holy to your day?

Related Posts with Thumbnails