During the weeks preceding Feb. 14, the stores were inundated with the color red in preparation for Valentine’s Day.
The card aisle was transformed into red, the candy department was largely red, and the gift shops glowed red as well. And if you were in the market for roses of any color, not just red, it became a near futile search. Sold out.
I guess it is safe to say that we are usually seeing red this time of year. This is all well and good, it is certainly a fun holiday and one that brings joy to many. But why only once a year?
Did you ever stop and consider the other 365 (or, in the case of this year, 366, thanks to it being a leap year) days? Wouldn’t it be great if we treated each and every day as an opportunity to show others how much we care about them? Can’t each day be Valentine’s Day?
To me, Valentine’s Day is the day that my neighbor cleared my driveway for me after a particularly heavy snowfall. It’s the day that a large group of volunteer ladies worked together at my church to make fastnachts prior to Mardi Gras (aka Donut Day) as a fundraiser for a mission trip to Appalachia.
Valentine’s Day is the day that my family got together to celebrate a meal with a special family recipe, for no specific reason. Every day, there are lots of examples of love being shared, and it’s a reason to celebrate.
Any day can be a great day to share love. Last week, I was doing some grocery shopping. The bagger was a delightful youth with some special needs, who obviously did not let that get in his way. He was diligent as he bagged my groceries, but when he saw a bag of cookies, he lit up.
“These are my favorites,” he said, smiling ear to ear.
I thanked him for his rave review and said that I would let my husband know those particular cookies came with a glowing recommendation. He was genuinely pleased. That was love shared and reciprocated. We both walked away from that conversation feeling happy.
I am in no way a cynic, but I truly believe we do not need a specifically named holiday to share joy with others.
I am the first one to buy Valentine’s gifts for my grandkids and cards for my family members. I love a holiday that celebrates love. But I also love to buy them little gifts just because. I firmly believe that if we all shared love regularly, the world would be a happier place.
So, I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, but I hope that spirit of loving kindness permeates your life daily, both in the giving and receiving, and that in doing so, you’ll find genuine happiness.
