Dear Christie and Joel,
We are so blessed to have you as children. On this Valentine's Day we wanted to share some thoughts with you. At this stage in life we no longer make you heart-shaped pancakes to celebrate the day or write you little valentine cards, but the one thing we have done since before your birth and continue to do to this day is to love each other. We've always felt that our relationships with God and each other are two of the most important gifts we could give you.
To celebrate the day this year, Dad and I went out for breakfast with friends of ours. We talked about things we appreciate in our spouses. One thing that comes to my mind over and over about Dad is how he seeks to be my biggest fan. He knows my faults better than anyone on earth, but, honestly, he never mentions them. It's not that he's dishonest, for you know the words "Russ" and "integrity" are practically synonymous. It's that he chooses to overlook my weaknesses knowing that I'm my worst critic and don't really need someone else telling me what I need to work on. Instead of talking to others about my faults, he talks to God about them.
In true iron-sharpens-iron style, he shares with me my blind spots when necessary, but he never brings up my obvious faults. This is true when talking to others about me and when talking to me directly. Because he's a truth-teller, I'm a better person for knowing him. Because he's become a gracious man, I have joy deep in my soul that comes from being completely loved and accepted.
You've probably heard it said that building a relationship is like putting money in a bank. Every kind, uplifting, and helpful word is a deposit. Every negative word is a withdrawal. Christie, as you anticipate entering marriage this summer and Joel, as you develop your relationship with your wife, I encourage you to be like Dad...full of grace and truth.
Happy Valentine's Day,
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