Valentine’s Day is [enter your response here?]

Valentine’s Day is… [enter your response here?] How you finish this sentence really depends on your mood, the people in your life, the weather, your stage of life, the tides, the moon…you get it.

With that said, on Valentine’s Day I usually find myself reminiscing about Valentine’s Days long gone. Maybe with so many under my belt it’s easier for me to reminisce than in days of yore…

Also… it might be easier to remember the highs and lows of Valentine’s as I am securely held in a loving family and have enjoyed this holiday with a spouse for over a decade.

To be honest…
I haven’t always been a fan.

I remember one Valentine’s 18 years ago where I found myself commiserating with a barista about how much this day stunk…as we gleefully ate broken heart-shaped cookies. Cookies that the barista broke after his girlfriend ended their relationship the day before.

Valentine’s day is full of emotional pit-falls.

Like Christmas, it can be the kitchen sink of expectation, commercialism, romantic movie narratives playing in the background of our heads. It fuels the fire of so many broken hearts and yet at the same time fuels the willingness to share true, authentic feelings.

I seem to recall a lot of Valentine’s cursing the poor saint for whom this day is named. (Poor dude, just a humble servant of God living in the 3rd century trying to evangelize to the Roman emperor, who at the time would have none of that Jesus-talk.)

I’ve learned Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to speak truth in love.

I recall my first Valentine’s Day with my husband who gifted me with a homemade meal and a very unromantic movie (Biodome). I loved that our first Valentine’s was watching an unromantic, kind of dumb, funny, movie. Good stuff.

I love watching people like my parents who have shared over 5 decades of Valentine’s. This day is often like any other day…but with special attention to stop and give thanks for each other and the way God has blessed them.

Valentine’s has taken on a new dimension for me with a child in my life. I love this dimension of Valentine’s. Kids at this age personify love, friendship, and joy. This week has been one opportunity after another for ways to share friendship through cards and crafts.

Watching my child enjoy helps me get past all the angst of Valentine’s from my past…maybe not all the angst…but SOME of the angst!)
I’m sure heartbreak will come on the road of life with this potholed emotional day.


But today is not that day.
And for this, I give thanks.

Valentine’s Day is a long, hard, day for people in the service industry.

So if you’re going out remember to: tip well, say thank you a lot, and smile.

Oh… and maybe in a day or two treat yourself to some flowers or a great box of candy. I hear that those items go on sale in a day or two 😉

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