Love Always Hopes

Yesterday my three-year-old and I headed to the local home improvement store to purchase flowers and soil for our garden. Since it was just she and I, we took our time enjoying the beauty of everything in bloom and filling our wagon with pots and two very large bags of garden soil.

On the way to the car, I was pulling the fully loaded wagon with one hand and holding tightly to her with the other, my eyes scoping out the parking lot for potential dangers as always. I seem to scope out parking lots and other places for hidden threats without really thinking about it. It seems that too often the local news is full of stories of people mugged in parking lots in broad daylight, homes robbed during waking hours, and shootings in and around restaurants just down the road.

But on this day, a glimmer of hope.

I left the wagon near the back of our small suv as I helped my little person into her car seat when I hear a man from the back of my vehicle say, "Excuse me, ma'am. Can I help you put these bags into your car?"

Now my first thought was, "Help me, Lord."

My initial response is generally to say no to any stranger because I have learned that trusting strangers can be hazardous. So I looked up from buckling the car seat and responded, "Ya know, I think I can probably handle it," and then immediately followed with, "but that would just be incredibly kind. Let me finish buckling her."

He smiled.

As I walked toward the back of the car to open it, I was still praying, still cautious, wondering what expectation he might have. As he leaned over to lift the heavy bags, I said, "Ya know, folks just don't seem to be so kind anymore. Thank you very much."

His response, "You're welcome. You have a nice day."

He wasn't overly friendly or chatty. He had no expectation. He was simply kind.

In a world that is increasingly violent and uncaring, a simple kindness reminded me that love always hopes.

Love without Expectation

Being a romantic, idealistic personality puts me in a position to be disappointed frequently. I have high ideals of what life should be (difficult to live up to) and then I get pictures in my brain of what holidays should look like and how folks should respond to my set of ideals. But having a husband, four kids, and a dog, I am figuring out that if I lower my expectations, I will not be disappointed too often.

Usually for Valentine's Day, I plan a beautiful meal, purchase small gifts, and make cards for everyone. I set the table with the good china, decorate in red, pink, and white, and light candles. Sometimes we play music and once, when the first two very very small, we even danced after dinner to love songs. Pretty pictures, huh?

Well, this year we started out making Valentine's on Monday, but some of us didn't finish (me). Wednesday, we decided that rather than cook something fancy, we would opt for something everyone liked and the kids picked tacos. None of this was painting a very pretty picture for me, but it was definitely making life simple.

Then on Friday, I was in Wal-Mart with Alex and this is how the conversation went:

Me: Should I pick up Valentine candy for everyone?

Alex: Why?

Me: Because I always do. I haven't bought any yet.

Alex: No, we don't need any candy. Didn't we make heart cookies already?

Me (spying the heart shaped balloons for less than a buck): Well, should I at least get the little kids a balloon?

Alex: No, it will just aggravate us when it gets caught in the ceiling fan.

So I didn't purchase anything extra for Valentine's, we ate tacos on an undecorated table, and I never did finish my Valentine's. We even laughed at Alex as he passed out his Valentine's in no particular order since he didn't make them for specific people. That kid can make me crazy some days, but he marches to his own beat. He had a point when he asked, "Who said we have to show our love for people on February 14 any way?"

But then I received a neat surprise. My sweet husband, whose memory isn't always the greatest and who rarely plans ahead, gave me roses, candy, and a card.

Who could ask for more than love without expectations?