Valentine's Day Twist

Here we are, another Valentine's Day coming to a close. Single people rejoice, couples either loved it and showered one another with gifts or were indifferent to the oft called "Hallmark" holiday. This is one of those holidays that people love to hate, or they just plain love.

Here's my two cents on it. Like any other holiday, be it Mother's Day, Thanksgiving or even Christmas, Valentine's is just a day set apart to give us another opportunity to let the ones we love know that we love them. In the busyness of every day life, we often overlook the little things that let our partners know how incredibly special they really are, and how much they mean to us. It doesn't have to be about lavishing gifts on one another. In fact, it shouldn't be about that. This is a chance to show your love and appreciation and more oft than not, it's acts of service and kindness that get this message across best. Think about it. At Christmas, what is the thing that makes you and those around you feel the Spirit of Christmas? Is it really the buying and giving of material goods, or is it instead the sharing of time with one another, or reaching out to the less fortunate, giving, without being asked, of yourself?

It is this girl's humble opinion that we are the ones that have turned Valentine's Day into the commercial hot mess it's become. Don't get me wrong, I love getting flowers as much as the next girl, but honestly, I'd sooner have my husband do something unexpected, like cook dinner with me, or surprise me with a picnic in the park (weather permitting, of course). And here's the thing. These acts of kindness, of service, well, they shouldn't be confined to just this one day. Just as we wish each other "the Spirit of Christmas all through the year" so should we take every chance we have to show our loved ones how much they mean to us on a daily basis.

Consider this: If each of us woke up every morning and asked ourselves "What can I do today to make my partner's life a little easier today? What can I do to make him/her feel special and loved today?" wouldn't our relationships and marriages be stronger, have a better chance at survival in a society that is bombarding us with a message of "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?"

For those that celebrated today, I hope you had a wonderful day filled with love. For you Anti-Valentine's Day folk, I hope it was an awesome Tuesday. And for everyone, I pray a year filled with small tokens of love daily, those things that you look back on and can't help but smile because you are reminded that that special someone gets you. (Stole the "gets you" from my good friend Monica. Hope you don't mind, Mon!)

Here's to the spirit of Love, every day all year long!



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