Yesterday Gabe had off work, so we had our Valentine’s date a day early. It was snowing furiously and the roads back into the sticks where my parents live were unplowed when we took the children over after lunch. There were 10 inches of snow, it was hilly and curvy, and I confess that I shut my eyes a few times when I was scared. You know a slide into the ditch isn’t so bad if you don’t see it coming, right? I have to hand it to him, my husband is a very good driver. Also a Suburban is a very good vehicle to be driving in snow like that. No sliding at all.
The city streets were nearly deserted, and we were the only patrons at Lone Star Steakhouse. We aren’t ordinarily steak house people, but we had a gift card so there we were. I am a chicken or seafood fan, but last night I ordered a steak at a restaurant for the first time in my life! It was very good, yes, but I slightly regretted not getting shrimp. 🙂 Now I know. We lingered until more folks started drifting in for supper. The stores were closing early, except of course, Walmart, where the shoppers were ambling through the aisles of teddy bears in heart mugs and chocolates wrapped in tinselly boxes, and people like me were buying flour and croutons and salad dressings. Actually, I have heard urban legends of people who live at Walmart when there is a storm with power outages. Not a bad plan, I suppose, if you fancy sleeping standing up in the bread aisle.
By the time we got back home, there were another 3 inches of snow accumulation, making it a grand total of 13 inches of fresh stuff on top of last week’s frozen pile up. It is settling slightly today with brilliant sunshine and blue skies. This winter, out of necessity, my husband’s work schedule being what it is, I learned to scrape snow with our little loader tractor. It is fun, except I am a bit embarrassed at my lack of skill when I am out by the mailbox where anybody driving past can see that the woman hasn’t done this real often. But I am good at pretending that I know what I am doing. 🙂
Oh, one more thing. Those verses about feelings I was looking for? I thought of one: “God loves a cheerful giver.” And look at the context, please.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Cheerful Giver
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully[a] will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Here is my 10 cents about love today: Loving=giving.
God loves cheerful loving. I mean, giving.
Cheerful loving/giving is not possible without a decision from the heart first.
If you love/give bountifully, you will reap bountifully.
If you feel that you are only reaping sparingly,(everybody hates me, nobody likes me, guess I’ll go eat worms…) maybe you need to check your sowing.
Easy-peasy, right?
wocket in my pocket 
I ordered a steak once in my life too, oddly, I too was disappointed that I had not ordered shrimp. In fact, I really want shrimp now for breakfast. How I love that verse. Sow sparingly reap sparingly. This is the real world, we must fling our arms open and embrace all that life entails. A broken heart is an abundant heart.