In case you've been under a rock, today is February 14th, the Hallmark day for proclaiming your undying ardor for your special someone. As a testament of your love, gifts are often exchanged, perhaps jewelry, flowers, or chocolates. I have just finished sewing my sweetheart a valentine's present. No, it is not a cute pair of undies with red hearts, or a pillow made from his old, worn out jeans, or fuzzy sweaters for his two favorite dogs. I just created and stitched fabric cuffs on the sleeves of his new coat. Happiest Valentine's Day Dear! 

Before you judge me, let me explain. For Christmas last year, I purchased a coat for Larry from a high end clothing store in downtown Chattanooga, Yacoubian Tailors. It was a puffy jacket, but quite tailored and sharp looking, in a dark, iridescent color that reflects shades of brown, green and navy. He liked the jacket a lot, and wore it to Montana several weeks later. It was 10 degrees outside the evening that we grilled steaks, so Larry wore his new jacket when he went out to the deck to check on the meat. (Why he chose to wear the fancy new coat instead of a number of old ones hanging nearby, is immaterial to the fabric of this story). He reached under the Weber grill to open the vent wider, and accidentally touched the coat sleeve against the hot grill, searing a large hole in the dark fabric and exposing a white patch of puffy lining. He was aghast and I was appalled, so we did the logical thing and ignored it. 

Larry felt very bad for having been so careless with my gift, but you just can't wear a coat anywhere, with such a gaping hole, except to take care of farm chores, which fortunately, we have none. He talked of buying a dark permanent marker, and coloring over the white stuffing. I know; he needs to stick with oncology, and leave the hard stuff to me. 

My good Mennonite training kicked in, and I realized that I could find a fabric to match the coat's shiny shell, and I could patch that darn thing. Like a dog on a crime scene, I combed through the aisles of JoAnn Fabrics, studying every bolt of fabric to find the best match. There were none to be found. Finally, one of the kind employees, weary of seeing me pace up and down the rows, suggested that I use navy material, since that was the contrasting color of the coat's collar and zipper, and create cuffs to cover the bare spot. And that is what I have done for my sweetheart on this valentine's day; I have repaired his beloved coat.

Guilty, as when my kids would roll their eyes and moan, "mom, does everything have to be a teachable moment?!",  I realized that I was living out one of the most beautiful qualities that I cherish about my Mennonite subculture: acts of service. Serving others is part of the Mennonite creed. It is modeled after the example of Jesus and it is a delight to behold:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2: 3-8

Thinking of others' needs and not just your own, was woven into our upbringing. The reason God gave you a gift or a talent was to share it, for the good of the community and to bring glory to Him. As an example, several weeks ago tornadoes went through southern Georgia, near my sister, Linda's town. Dozens of houses were destroyed and eleven people were killed. When I talked to her the next day, her husband and son were already out with chain saws, helping those who had lost their property. And Linda was waiting for a phone call to tell her what food to prepare for that evening's dinner, served to those affected. This is the norm for Mennonites; they serve each other. I love that this tradition is part of my psyche.

On this special day of love, from my blessed vantage point of thirty-four happy years of marriage, may I be so presumptuous as to offer one fragment of advice to young couples? Try to outdo each other with acts of service. It says so much about your feelings when you serve the other. I hope every time Larry wears his puffy coat, he feels the warmth of my love for him. Now would it be self serving if we dug into the two pound box of milk chocolate sea salt truffles from Coblentz Chocolate Co. in Walnut Creek, Ohio, that just happens to be setting on the kitchen counter?! Perhaps we could serve each other a piece.