Rich in Love: Valentine's Day 2021

My parents love to tell a story of when I was a young girl growing up on Cape Cod.  

You see, Cape Cod has a lot of beach towns where some of the richest of the rich have second or third homes, like this.  We happened to live in a village (Osterville) where a lot of wealthy and famous people lived and/or vacationed.  Because of this, I had friends that lived in gated communities, in gorgeous huge homes, or right on the water with private beaches.

I always knew that we did not share the same lifestyles.  My parents were hard-working business owners who were able to provide a beautiful life for us six kids, but the joke was that "we lived on the wrong side of Osterville".  Not that there's really any bad side of Osterville :)

But back to the story.  One day, after hearing me describe in detail the home one of my friend's lived in,  my parents asked me if I wished we had a house like that, and I said "No, we may not be rich but we're rich in love."  

I knew from a young age that even though I (thoroughly) enjoyed lavish lifestyles, I would rather have a loving family than lots of stuff.  I think God was preparing me for a life with a theology-teaching husband and seven children of my own.  Because while we certainly aren't rich, we do have lots and lots of love to share and I couldn't love my valentines anymore!!

We shared sweet treats and cards, and my Valentine of 21 years gave me an Adventure Challenge: Couples Edition for many more dates to come!

 Thank you Lord for the virtue of contentment with the gifts I've been given, gifts that money can't buy!  I hope you all had a LOVEly Valentine's Day as well :)  

{Linking up with Rosie}