Valentine's Day

I was feeling sorry for myself today because of the news of the baby and my ongoing health problems, and I barely realized it was Valentine's day. Then I stumbled across the Military Channel's Operation V-Day. This is dedicated to letting overseas servicemen and women send taped messages to their loved ones back home. Of course I grew teary-eyed until one serviceman in Iraq started his message with a quote from the Song of Solomon. By the end of his reading, I was sobbing. He read it with such passion, then dedicated it to his wife. That's all he said.

I cried because I was ashamed. Daniel has the flu too, and is working his ass off in the cold. I try to tell him a dozen times a day that I love him, but I never can tell him enough, or how deeply that love runs. Here is a guy from Iraq, facing death, taking the time to tell his wife over thousands of miles that he loves her, and using the passionate words of my favorite part of the Bible.

Baby, I want to tell you how much I love you every second of every day. The depth of my love for you is impossible to put into words. The memory of the first time I saw your face still makes my heart skip a beat. I adore every second you snore in my ear when we get to sleep together, and I love the way the house looks like a whirlwind hit after you are home a few days, because it shows YOU WERE HERE WITH ME! I hope there is never a day I take you for granted. In your honor, I found that quote from The Song of Solomon that soldier quoted, and have it here for you (http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=KjvCant.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=2&division=div1)

"The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice. My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether. "

I love you Daniel.