Happy Valentines

Happy Valentines Day.
It's a rather quiet morning around the Wilson home. Hudson is home sick from school, reading here on the sofa with me as I type, both of us entertained by our new puppies Cross and Ruby as they tumble across the carpet and then come to rest in a tangled, furry ball.
This special holiday is made a tiny bittersweet for me in that we didn't get our annual family Valentine  in the mail. So here I am, wishing our friends and loved ones an electronic greeting.
Oh well.
It's not the paper-in-your-hand greeting, but I hope it conveys our love and appreciation. This Valentine's day finds us a grateful household. Grateful for deep relationships with our parents and brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and family. Grateful for friendships, some of which span several decades now. Grateful for our community and school and neighborhood, and for a lovely, comfortable home. And even more, for the inhabitants of our home.
As I'm learning, gratitude is a practice, a learned habit. And somehow even in the midst of all of these gifts, I'm still having to learn, to practice. More than any person or position or material thing, I find that the only thing that truly satisfies me is the nearness of Jesus. So especially today, on this day that symbolizes love, I pray that you and yours experience the nearness of our Savior. May He dwell (and overflow) our hearts and homes.
Happy Valentines 2011!