Why I love Valentine’s Day
Love All Around You
How to find the beauty in hearts
Surround yourself with love by loving everything and everyone around you.
-Laurie Gray
As an eternal optimist, I love Valentine’s Day. It is not because I always receive mountains of gifts, cards, flowers of messages. My story is quite the opposite. Yet, I love to see the signs of love all around me this time of year.
Growing up, I remember our grade school Valentine’s parties. It was fun to give everyone a card or a little treat. I always inspected each card for clues. Do they like me?
For two or three years, I had a crush on a boy named Kyle.
I used to buy him a big card and send it directly to his house. Even though I never received anything in return, Valentine’s Day remained close to my heart.
Each year I had fun watching kids send Valentine-Grams in the form of balloons, messages, or flowers to classmates. Never receiving one did not dash my hopes.
The only time it happened was while going to school in Mexico. However, my boyfriend broke up with me a day before Valentine’s, so his message and pink carnation were delivered to me by my Canadian friend while I recovered from heartbreak at home.
Fond memories of eating a box of chocolates I bought for myself that day while laughing brought a smile to my face.
Later on, a boyfriend of many years never once sent flowers to me until I broke up with him. Those two boxes of long-stem roses were still beautiful.
In times when I felt lonely or needed to cheer myself up, I’d stop by the flower market, and buy myself a bouquet.
All through those years, I never gave up on Valentine’s Day. I found instead a love for myself that radiates out to everyone else.
On our first Valentine’s Day, my now husband surprised me with the largest bouquet I had ever seen.
My never-giving-up attitude knew it was worth the wait.
Now we celebrate in a more low-key way, but little surprises still pop up from time to time. Today when I went to the supermarket, those hearts, flowers, balloons, and bears brought out a feeling of hope.
My wish is that they all find a loving home, a place to rest with sweetness and grace. Someone will present them to their first love. There is a story behind each gift.
How do you feel about Valentine’s Day? I hope you find love within your heart for yourself this year. You are worth it, and you are loving.
Thank you, Ellie Jacobson, for this Valentine’s Day prompt in your publication, Flint and Steel. I appreciate you!
