I should really start this post with a note about my beautiful wife and/or our five better-than-average-looking children, but they kind of get too much airtime already if I’m being honest, so, no. Not today, favorite people on the planet.
Today is about other things.
Valentine’s Day has always been a source of anxiety for me. I’m a romantic. A writer. A thoughtful feeler. A giver. And someone who experiences genuine joy from seeing other people loved well. It’s like I was created for this day. Or vice versa.
I used to be pretty dang good at V-Day — I can write a Roses are Red spin-off with the best of ‘em. I can get creative with “gifts,” too. One time, I had no money, so I printed off a hundred or so pictures of flowers and gave the paper to Bethany with a stupid poem I wrote about not having any money. Cheesy? Yes. Effective? We’ve been married for 20 years and we have five kids. You tell me.
But, these days, Valentine’s is just too much pressure. I’ve decided that this is a holiday for young people. New lovers. New love. Or even new like-a-lots. It’s not for a balding, overweight, 47-year-old man who picked the romance department clean two decades ago.
Paper flowers? I mean, come on.
That said, I do have love in my heart (for the aforementioned as well as a few other things), so I thought I’d share 8 GREAT THINGS I LOVE with you today, because maybe you will love them, too. I’m a giver.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody!
4 THINGS I LOVE THAT MATTER:
1. My “Be Kind” hoodie from THE HAPPY GIVERS. I’ve posted about this thing before, but since then (about 6 weeks ago) I have worn it every single day, and it’s better than ever. Also, buying it made me feel good about myself and my contributions to the world because monies from each purchase go to a really good cause. Also, also, I think it’s fun to wear a constant reminder that we could all be doing a little better.
2. HELP ONE NOW. In 2007, Chris Marlow met a starving young child living in an abandoned gas station in Zimbabwe. That encounter compelled him to start Help One Now and dedicate his life to seeking justice by empowering leaders and organizing a wide table of people to do good together.
I met Payton Junkin a few years ago after he reached out and said, “I don’t know why, really, but I think we should be friends.” I initially said “yes,” because his name is Payton Junkin and that’s cool and weird at the same time, but then found out that he was right. We hit it off right away, and I immediately became fascinated and inspired by Help One Now. Payton is the “strategic partnerships director” for HON which, today serves in some of the poorest communities in the world — where people live on less than $2 US per day. Please check these guys out. They are the real deal… doing unreal things to change the world!
3. WHAT’S YOUR OMELET? My friend, Bryan, has ALS. It’s an awful, evil disease that hits super-close to home for me. I met Bryan at a speaking engagement in Tennessee. I was telling my ALS story (my Dad) when I noticed a beautiful woman in the back of the room crying. Long story short, she is Bryan’s wife and it turns out MY story hit too close to home for her. The next day, I met Bryan. That’s the only time I have ever spent with the Gallentine’s, but I feel as though we are forever connected, and I will cherish our friendship forever. Bryan can tell you about “What’s Your Omelet?” better than I can. Check this out:
In 2017 I was diagnosed with terminal ALS- also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Knowing the life expectancy is just a brief 2-5 years, I started trying to figure out everything that I wanted to see and do in the time I have left. One of those things was learning how to make an omelet! Pretty silly in some ways, pretty awesome in others. Basically “What’s your omelet?” turned into a motto of mine. What’s something that you’ve always wanted to do- or learn how to do. It can be something as simple as learning how to make an omelet, or as big as climbing Mt Everest. We never know when our time is coming- so what are you waiting for?
Check out Bryan’s website (he’s also a brilliant songwriter and sells some of his old records on the site) and get some “WYO?” merch. To quote Bryan… What are you waiting for?
4. Candle of the Month Club from GRACE FLAME. My wife signed me up for a candle of the month club, because, basically, I am a girly-man and I like things that smell pretty. She heard about these particular candles through Ann Voskamp, who is incredible, and serves on the Board, but this isn’t about her. It’s about me being a girly-man. Anyway, I got the first candle — Eucalyptus + Sweet Snow — a few weeks ago, and I squealed like a 13-year-old girl at a Bieber concert. I should be getting the next candle any day now, and I can hardly wait. What’s next? Magnolia-Clementine? Oh, be still my flame-happy heart!
Also… and this is the best part: 100% of all funds not only empowers artisans around the world, but partners with Mercy House Global to support several homes for young women and their babies in crisis pregnancies in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya.
4 THINGS I LOVE THAT DON’T REALLY MATTER:
The Avett Brothers. “I and Love and You” is one of the all-around best albums I’ve ever heard. “No Hard Feelings” from True Sadness makes me cry EVERY time, and I kind of want to move to Concord, North Carolina and be the third, less talented, but equally good-looking older brother.
The Great British Bake Off. There are seven seasons of this glorious program, and I have watched them all. Twice. I don’t know how or why this has become a thing for me, but the show is both relaxing AND nerve-wracking, and it’s the best thing on TV right now. You’ll not convince me otherwise.
Post Malone. I’m not sorry. This guy’s face tattoos scare the crap out of me and he uses language that makes 98% of mothers everywhere cry. But he is “mad-talented,” and “Hollywood is Bleeding” is on repeat right now on the ol’ iTunes, because “shorty mixin’ up the vodka with the lee-croix” is pure poetry. You’ll not convince me otherwise.
The Atlanta Braves. It’s an addiction more than fandom, I think. I listen to or watch every inning of every game. This is something that threatens my marriage every season, but I still do it. I must be addicted, right? There’s no way I would willingly risk losing the best thing that has ever happened to me for BASEBALL. #ChopOn
That’s it. That’s my list. Eight things. That’s all the love I can give. Happy Valentine’s Day. Blah, blah, blah… give me some Twizzlers. Strawberry, please.
Make that 9 things I love.