John 3:16 Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Two Birds Flew the Coop

In celebration of Valentines Day, I thought I’d bring you the Ten Most Romantic Cities in the U.S. according to Amazon. Drum roll please…

10. Dayton, OH

9. Spokane, WA

8. Cincinnati, OH

7. Vancouver, WA

6. Orlando, FL

5. Alexandria, VA

4. Miami, FL

3. Knoxville, TN

2. Seattle, WA

AND…

1. San Antonio, TX

Yes #1 San Antonio! I live 30 minutes away. Do I agree? Honestly, I never thought about it. When I think romance, I always think Paris. But yes, I kind of do. The River Walk can be very romantic. What’s more romantic than strolling along a beautiful walkway arm and arm and sipping drinks along the waterfront. There are some fabulous restaurants down there; some expensive and some modest in price with the Riverwalk ambiance. And what about the hotels- there are some incredible hotels with romantic views, spas, champagne, chocolate and all the trimmings.

What is romance? According to dictionary.com, romance is

1. a novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic or marvelous deeds, pageantry, romantic exploits, etc., usually in a historical or imaginary setting.
2. the colorful world, life, or conditions depicted in such tales.
3. a medieval narrative, originally one in verse and in some Romance dialect, treating of heroic, fantastic, or supernatural events, often in the form of allegory.
4. a baseless, made-up story, usually full of exaggeration or fanciful invention.
5. a romantic spirit, sentiment, emotion, or desire.

According to this definition, romance doesn’t sound real. Think about it, a novel is a story derived from someone’s imagination and the setting is imaginary; a baseless, made up story,usually full of exaggeration or fanciful invention! (Was this definition written by a man? LOL) Now, I don’t mean to bust anyone’s bubble, but there again, maybe I do. Romance seems to be ever alluding. How many times have you expected someone to sweep you off your feet only to be deflated because it doesn’t go according to plan. Don’t get me wrong, I love romance! I love spending time with my husband, doing those special things, but I don’t put all my expectations in one day.

I think romance is a state of mind, not necessarily a place. You can be romantic whether you are in San Antonio, Afghanistan, the North Pole or anywhere else. And you can be in San Antonio on the River Walk, walking arm in arm or riding in a carriage and have so much hostility and bitterness toward your spouse that there is no romance whatsoever.

This year my husband is working on Valentine’s Day. You may be thinking, “Oh no, how can that be.” Well, his birthday is Thursday, so I’m going to cook a nice meal and we will enjoy a quite evening at home. Then when Saturday rolls around, we’ll go out. Who knows, maybe we’ll go to the River Walk. So it’s kind of a sweet deal; we’ll celebrate his birthday Thursday and Valentine’s Day on Saturday without all the crowds.

So I encourage you, if you are married, love your spouse every day, not just on Valentine’s Day. Romance can happen anytime, anywhere, not just that one day of the year.

If you have love in your life, you have a tremendous gift ; whether it’s romantic love, a child’s love, a parent’s love, or a friend’s love.

And most importantly, if you have God’s love, you have it all. So as Valentine’s Day approaches, my prayer is that you accept and receive the Love of God that he freely gave.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life.

For more information on the River Walk, go to http://visitsanantonio.com