LOVE- A Valentine Now and Forever

Yesterday was valentines day. This is a day that I usually don't like very much. Mainly because it is for people that have a valentine and no matter how many times you are told that it is also a day about friendship, it's just not the same. This year I decided to change my mopey ways and spend the day celebrating the greatest gift God has given me: LOVE. How could I not spent the day that is known as "the day of love" reflecting on my father's love that is my very reason for living and is constantly surrounding me and consuming my heart?
Before I get into that I have to say: yesterday was the best Valentines Day ever. And yes, I stand corrected, it is an awesome day of friendship! To start off the day (at the stroke of midnight) all the other girls and I were awakened by a midnight serenade. All the guys stood outside of our windows and sang love songs to us as some strummed their guitars. When we came to the door to thank them, they gave each of us a beautiful flower that they has risked their lives to pick. It was the sweetest thing A whole group of guys (let alone one guy) has ever done for me! The day continued with constant expressions of friendship through valentine cards, acts of service, and hugs. Me and the other girls in my small group even made matching shirts to wear that said, "Free Hugs" on the front and, "For God so hugged the world..." on the back:). That evening we had a special candlelight dinner complete with decorations, jazz music, and a 3-course meal that was served by some of the guys. After the dinner, some of the girls presented a project they had been working on: writing songs about each person in the DTS to sing to them. Mine was to the tune of "Girls just wanna have fun", but it was called "Anna just wants to have fun". It was so funny! The rest of the night was full a taking pictures and dancing (of course!). There is nothing like living in a community with others who have the love of Christ... there are love explosions everywhere! I want to be in community with others, such as this one, for the rest of my life.
These awesome friendships are just one way God has been showing me his love. In the past month I have been experiencing God's love in a new and deeper way.
I have experience his love as my savior; one who has laid down his life for me just so I can be with him. I have experienced his saving grace this past month because he has done some major surgery on my soul; opening me up and taking things out of me that were buried so deep inside that I did not even know they were there, yet they were eating me up and keeping me from a deeper relationship with him. He is my healer, healing me from things I thought were my destiny for my entire life. Now he has come into those places in me that were filled with darkness and shines his light, giving me abundant life. What love he has for me that he gave his own life, paying the price that was mine to pay, that I may have freedom and eternity with him!
God has began to reveal himself me as my eternal lover. He has spoken into my life, telling me that he has never left me to be alone, but has always gazed upon me, sometimes speechless because he is so in awe of me. He delights in me![Zephaniah 3:17].  To him I am more precious than a jewel; more beautiful than a diamond. He has dreams for me that are better than anything I could dream for myself. Most of all, he LOVES spending time with me. He is always waiting in the secret place for me, desiring that I come into his presence. When I seek to know him more deeply, he reveals himself! I will dwell in the house of the Lord!
His has also been showing me how he is my perfect Father with perfect love, my best friend, and the only source of true love that I can give to others (he IS Love). Do you know what makes me more excited than anything else?... I have just scratch the surface of God's love! The deeper into his love that I go, the more I realize that it is bigger than I could ever experience in this lifetime and more extravagant than my wildest imagination. Can you imagine what his heart must look like? All I know is that we (his children) are at the very center of his heart. He said, "I have loved you with an everlasting love."[Jer. 39:3] I am so excited to spend the rest of my life getting to know the one who I will be in a love-relationship with for the rest of eternity!