Standing in the gap...

For as long as I can remember, yeah, because I was going to say for the past 10 years but I think even before that...my dad has either had delivered or delivered himself, flowers and a card to me on Valentine's Day.  He has been my faithful Valentine, full of unconditional love for me for a very long time, and I've adored it, and him.

This morning, I awoke, very, very excited about my first Valentine's with Dana.  Then, I felt a little twinge of sadness.  I knew that as exciting as having a Valentine was, it also meant that I would probably NOT get a valentine from my dad.  So I reminiced with the girls at work about the past 10 years, places I've been when getting those flowers, things the cards have said and just how blessed I was to have a dad that would stand in the gap willingly and be my valentine.

I was wrong, I got one last delivery today.  My dad showed up with 6 red roses and a card.  Just his presence made me want to cry, and I laughed and said, "oh this will be the last time"  and he laughed to and said, "um yes."   I may have been able to hold it together out front, but I took the card back to my desk and what he had to say there made my eyes leak.He told me how honored he had been to be my valentine for so many years and how thankful he was that the years that he couldn't step in, God was there.  He went on to tell me that he was very comfortable passing me off to the very capable hands of Dana and very matter of factly stated that if Dana loved me half as much as he did, we'd do just fine.  Oh and we will, I got home to a dining room table covered with different sized paper hearts, in the center was a beautiful arrangement of my favorite flower and a card.  A card that would make you sob if you read it, a card that was actually created, with paper, pens and glue.  But most of all, created from the heart of the man my dad has passed me to.  A man that adores me, a man that took the time to MAKE me a card because he "knew what he wanted it to say" We spent the evening doing exactly what I wanted to do.  We watched movies, had chinese and enjoyed each others company. 

I am a blessed woman.  May I never forget it.