Day 363: Apple Pie

I baked you an apple pie for this act of love, which was the first apple pie I’ve ever baked in my life. I thought it tasted okay, but you really liked it. I believe this was the first time I baked a pie in my life, which was for 365 Acts of Love. Since that time, I baked a blueberry pie for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas. That makes four pies, all because of 365 Acts of Love. If nothing else comes out of this year-long project, it was worth it for the delicious pies.

 

Day 333: Weekly Article: Serving Together

For my 333rd act of love, I read this article from Focus on the Family about serving others as a couple. We’ve done a bit of serving together and it’s always made us closer and more unified. But, as the article points out, serving others isn’t about the benefit that we accrue, but the benefit of others.

As the holiday season approaches, I’m becoming more and more mindful of those who are in need. I think we should begin planning how to incorporate acts of giving to the needy into our holiday tradition. I’m sure that’ll make our holidays more meaningful (for us and others) and it’ll be a great example to our kids.

Day 88: Watching the Baby

Your default is to take care of our baby. If I don’t offer to help you with her, you don’t often ask for it. On Christmas, we went to your parents’ house. I didn’t want you taking care of our baby all day instead of spending time with your family. So, for most of the day, I took care of her. You noticed and I was glad.

I’m so thankful for your family, by the way. They’re thoughtful of us, they’re extremely hospitable, and they love being with our kids. I enjoy spending time with them and am happy that I gained them as a family when I married you! I hope we never take their kindness for granted.

Day 73: Homemade Hearts

On Saturday, the girls and I each made you an ornament for the tree. For each of us, I glued two candy canes together in the shape of a heart. Then, we made bows on our candy-cane hearts out of pipe cleaners. Next, we each made a note for you and attached it to our respective bows. Finally, we put hooks on the hearts so we could hang them on the tree.

I like involving our girls in my acts of love. For one, I’m leading them by example, teaching them the proper way to treat you. It remains a fact that whether or not I’m a good example for our children, they follow me. The same goes for you. Their idea of how to treat others is formed (in part) by the way we treat each other. In general, the kind of person a child becomes is due (in part) to the kind of lives his parents lead. In other words, a child’s home makes his heart. In light of this, may God’s grace abound in us so that we can treat each other well. May he forgive us when we fail. (I admit that I fail daily.)  Two, by involving our girls in my acts of love, they themselves practice love for others, selflessness, etc. In both of these ways, then, 365 Acts of Love has the potential to shape our kids’ hearts to be more like Christ’s heart. May God use it for that end.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6)

Day 56: An Early Christmas Surprise

Every year for the past several years, we’ve bought new Christmas music for Christmas. By now, we have a decent variety of styles and singers, from Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra, to Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban; from Olivia Newton-John to Jewel; from Ella Fitzgerald to “Celtic Woman.” This year, we exchanged the Christmas music we bought you for a Disney Christmas CD for the girls. I thought that was sweet of you. So yesterday, I bought you a Christmas CD featuring “today’s top country artists.” You love country music and I noticed we don’t own any Christmas music by country artists. Your CD should arrive at our house in the next few days. I’m trying to keep it a secret so you’ll be surprised when it comes. (I’ve kept this blog a secret; certainly I can keep a CD a secret for a few days.)

Speaking of country music, I must confess something. I no longer hate country music with a passion–I tolerate it. I think it’s because you’ve hammered it into me for years. What’s worse, there are a few songs I like. In fact, a couple of times, you caught me liking certain country songs. For example, one time you turned the station on the radio from one such song and I asked you why you turned it. You said that you were tired of that song. “You can turn it back if you want.” “I’m okay,” you said. “You don’t need to turn it because of me.” “Really, it’s okay.” “Okay, turn it back because I want to listen to that song!” These songs are few and far between, though, so don’t get any big ideas.