A Valentine’s Day love story, if present day culture is to be believed, is all about candlelit dinners, chocolates, diamonds, and declarations of undying devotion. This Valentine’s Day love story is about loving a little boy who lives with anxiety, ADHD, and high-functioning autism just as he is.

“Grammy,” said our 8-year-old grandson Tad when he entered our kitchen. “Someone did something terrible in the bathroom. Come see.”

His little sister followed us into the bathroom where thick rivulets of hand soap ran down the mirror above the sink. The sister denied having had anything to do with it. Another look at the miserable expression on my grandson’s face, and I sent her out of the room.

“Did you do this, Tad?”

“Yes,” he said with tears in his eyes.

“Why did you lie?”

He began to cry. “Because I didn’t want you to get mad at me. Are you mad at me Grammy?”

“I’m not mad at you, Tad.” I hugged him. He hugged back. “Just disappointed. Mostly because you lied, and it’s hard to trust someone who lies. You know that, right?”

He nodded.

“Let’s clean this up together.”

We talked while mopping hand soap off of the counter, the faucet, the sides of the vanity cabinet, and the wall.

“What made you do it?” I asked.

“My mind quit working, and I couldn’t stop.”

“Did you know what you were doing was wrong?”

His lip trembled. “Yes, but the naughty part of me took over.”

I took a few seconds to decide what to say. “Everybody, even grownups, has to fight against choosing naughty things. The only human who chose the right way every time was Jesus. He did it because he was completely human and also completely God. You’re not Jesus and neither am I. We’re humans who choose to be naughty sometimes, and Jesus still loves us.”

To read the rest of A Valentine’s Day Love Story, visit the Hope Anew website.

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Photo by Victoria Aleksandrova on Unsplash