Valentine's Day is a time to love. There are many kinds of love, love for parents, love for a life mate, love for children and agape love, the love that God gives us. We had a family get together last Sunday over lunch at Bonanza. I suppose you could call it a Valentine's celebration. It was an occasion only God could have made possible.

I know that God loves everyone, even the bum on the street. Will Rogers said he never met a man he didn't like but I must admit there are those who I don't like and I don't want to be around. That's when I wonder how God can love everyone. How can you love people who have body odor, bad breath or who is a chronic complainer?

My first memory of Valentine's Day was when my first grade teacher let our class cut out and bake cookies. I can still remember spreading pink icing on heart-shaped cookies to transform them into beautiful valentines. It was truly a time to laugh.

The 14th of February was special through the years as I took valentines to classmates and dropped them into boxes covered with pink and white crepe paper. I was thrilled when I was in Junior High School and got a lovely frilly valentine from an "Unknown admirer." Though he stayed unknown it was fun to try to guess who it was.

For the 28 years that I was married my husband never forgot Valentine's Day. He always gave me a beautiful valentine and a heart-shaped box of chocolates or flowers. One year he gave me a pair of tiny red heart earrings. He also brought home small heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for his three daughters. It was a time to love.

In many ways Earl was a good husband and father, but there was one insurmountable wall between us that neither of us could climb over. That wall was alcohol.

When my marriage was over, the beautiful valentines and heart-shaped boxes of chocolate came no more. It was a time to cry and often it felt like it was a time to die. But just because a human heart is shattered doesn't mean that it really breaks.

As so many times happens in divorce court love turned to a time to hate. I hated Earl and later I hated his new wife Darlene. I could see my own hate reflected in her bitter eyes. I soon discovered that hating is worse than hurting. Hatred ruins hearts but how could I replace that hatred with love? There is one love that is more powerful than all of the others. That is the love that comes from God. God sent His only begotten Son to die for us, because He loved us.

Earl and I had some very strong ties, our children and grandchildren. As I prayed away my hate we gradually came to a time for friendship.

God's love is what helped our family to have an enjoyable lunch at Bonanza last Sunday after church. There were eight of us, my grandson, his wife, two children, my daughter and myself, and my ex-husband, Earl and his wife, Darlene. My ex-husband picked up the check. Only God could have made us one big happy family. It was a time to love.