A Day for Love

Today is Valentine’s Day, a day that brings mixed emotions to some. It certainly has to me in the past. I have spent so many years without a certain someone to make it all special. In addition, I carried a story line with me that would rival a Shakespearean tragedy. Many years I hated the holiday.

What is remarkable to me is my experience of it this year.

Surprisingly, I have enjoyed the store displays, the commercial hype and all the trappings. And have not grieved over the lack of someone special. To what do I attribute this? I guess it would have to be how often I have chosen to be the Observer of the world around me and especially of my reactions to it. This is always an in-the-moment decision; I sure can’t plan it. I admit, I am not always successful. I can get ‘triggered’ big time with all the fall out associated with a melt down. But these moments don’t last as long as they have in the past. I am grateful for this awareness.

And this gratitude feeds my heart. I guess this is an important clue. I would be wise to give it my attention. I know there have been scores of accounts written on this subject, all of them worthy of note. But there is a security that comes when it wells up from your own consciousness. It is yours because it resides in your heart. Can I get an ‘Amen’ to that?

Finally, as my Day for Love wish to the world, I would like to share a singularly sweet piece of Valentine’s ephemera that I found on the sale rack at a local craft store. It shared its hook with all manner of glitter and ornaments with torn edges and peeling paint. This treasure waited for me to find it. It will hang on my wall long after this holiday passes. To me, it represents love in this world. It brings joy to my own singular heart.

Happy Valentine’s Day!