February is the month of love. But it’s a time of year when we may all need a little romance relief. In honor of love I am wearing Mom’s 1940s heart charm bracelet (pictured left), newly inherited and therefore a little sad. Each unique heart has the name of one of Mom’s childhood friends engraved on it.
Romance Relief, but how?
I may not be the only sad soul this year. For many, Valentine’s is the worst holiday of the year. Yes, Valentine’s Day. When men everywhere panic. Wives feel pressure to be positive about almost any thoughtful gesture. Single women mourn their lack of love. What’s not to love about a holiday with that much added pressure? Maybe it’s time for a little romance relief.
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt,” according to the modern philosopher and inventor of Charlie Brown, Charles M. Schulz. (Thanks to BrainyQuote.com for the quotes today)
Cheap and Easy Gals
For romance relief, we invented Cheap and Easy Gals. It actually started out as Cheap and Easy Gals’ Night Out. We liked the shorter name because we think it’s funnier.
The idea is to get a bunch of fun women together without putting pressure on anyone, thus the evening’s plans must be cheap and easy. We’ve met in homes for Bunko tourneys or taught ourselves to roll sushi. Sushi, when you roll it yourself is a lot cheaper and just as yummy. We don’t wear white gloves or sip tea with our pinkies up.
Fun. Fellowship. No Pressure.
If you don’t have plans for Valentine’s, I hope you will borrow our idea. Maybe Cheap and Easy Gals will become a thing. Wouldn’t it be great if men everywhere were relieved from the pressure of having to manufacture romance. I don’t know about you, but pressure totally short-circuits the whole idea of romance for me.
Prince Charming: mocking him or married to him?
Valentine’s Day is the perfect evening for a Cheap and Easy Gals’ Night Out. For single friends, the bonus is unexpected fellowship on a day when single gals expect to be sad, bitter, hilarious, all simultaneously. If your have a boyfriend or hubby, it’s a double blessing. You get to laugh and mock everyone else with your single friends. Plus, you can still go out later with your sweetheart. Your sweetheart gets permission to treat you to dinner out on a night when restaurants are not packed with couples.
Do I sound jaded? If you love Valentine’s Day and your sweetheart is champion of romantic adventures, congratulations. I am just romantic enough to believe Prince Charmings exist. I hope you enjoy red roses, chocolate, candle light and all the love that goes with those romantic gestures.
“Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine!” wrote Thomas Hood, English poet, author and humorist, sometimes called England’s finest poet of the 1800’s.
Cherished Every Day
I think Hood was on to something. Still, the pressure to be creative for one big day can sap all energy to cherish each other every day. If your sweet heart looks like a deer in the headlights as the holiday of love approaches, why not give the guy a break? Letting him off the hook might be the most romantic thing you could do for him. Plus, it comes with the bonus of being cheapest and easiest, too. Yep, cheap and easy go together like chocolate and champagne.
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May I pray for you?
Dear Father in heaven, You are the One who loves us in ways we can’t comprehend. But sometimes, we need to feel the love with a little companionship right here on earth where we live today. In the midst of our messy lives and our heart’s yearnings, please make us aware of the ever present companionship and love You offer us. Teach us to be alert to the ways Your love comes pouring out on us through Your people. Give us freedom where there was bondage. Let us love in a million ways that honor You. Teach us to rejoice with delight in the simplest pleasures. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
I want to hear from you.
What are some alternative plans that spark romance at your house this time of year? For single friends, what’s the best thing about being single?
Cathy Krafve, Texas Author, Columnist, Speaker, and Radio Host, focusing on fellowship in Christian Marriage and Family, invites your stories, ideas, and questions at CathyKrafve.com. Truth with a Texas Twang.
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