Just because.....

    Remember when you were in school and you had one a 'built in snow day', which meant that you didn't have to go to school.....for absolutely NO REASON? Wouldn't it be awesome if we had those now? Seriously. Just think about it. Your boss says "OK, nobody comes to work on Friday." That's it. Nobody is in trouble. You don't get hurt on attendance. You get to do WHATEVER you want, just because.  It's the 'just because' that makes it so awesome.
     This is where 'holidays' have taken over. Wouldn't you rather receive a card, candy, flowers, or whatever....just because? Or do you like to get these things because....well...it's Valentine's Day....(I have to).  Let me tell ya, it took a while for me to understand this. I'm a girl. I like getting cards (that he obviously took time to pick out or make). I like candy.(my butt doesn't, but I do). I like flowers (wild ones picked from the side of the road...yeah). However, I like these things Just Because.  I don't want Shane to ever think that he has to do ANY of these things because it's February 14th. I want him to do it because it's April 9th and he just couldn't stop thinking about me and decided to make me a card.  THAT's when love feels the best. NOT when everyone is rushing to the store to get the last heart shaped box of chocolate or a stuffed frog wearing slippers holding a heart.
     Last year we had to put our wonderful family pet to sleep on Valentine's Day...so honestly...Valentine's Day can just suck a rotten egg. I'm not saying that I haven't enjoyed Valentine's Day. I have. I just know that sometimes we put our expectations so high that the chances of our significant other achieving this goal....is slim to none. Give him/her a break. Remember that time.........you fill in the blank. That was 'just because'.
So if your hot air balloon ride or the sky writer doesn't come through....relax.  Stop and remember that time that he made sure the kids left you alone so you could take a nap? How about when he said, "I'll make dinner, you just take it easy tonight".
      There are things that God does for us everyday if we could just open our eyes and see them. The sunrise. The laugh of a baby. The smile from an elderly person. The sound of the birds singing. The love of a friend. The touch of a loved one. His precious Son who lived and died for us.....just because He loved us? Awesome!