Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day.
Call me a hopeless romantic, or a sap but it's true; I love Valentine's Day.
I love all of the hearts everywhere
I love the cards (seriously, I spent over 20 minutes reading Valentine's Day cards and just crying a little)
I love the cute treats and balloons and decorations.
I love love. I guess that's what it comes down to.
Valentine's Day came to our office early this year.
I went out and bought the girls (Meg, Jenna and Amy) each a bundle of flowers and a cutesie little card and delivered them this morning. (Jenna, if you're reading this SURPRISE!).
The moments that followed my Valentine's Day delivery were what make me love the day so much.
Letting someone know that they're loved
And thought about
And deserving of a little extra attention
That is what makes me love this holiday so much.

So many of my single friends (and NON single friends alike) openly detest Valentine's Day. They say it's the "worst holiday ever." My question for them is, WHY?
Why is it so horrible?
Why do you hate it so much?
I would venture to say that many of them are missing the point of the day.
Sure, I've had my fair share of disappointing Valentine's Day. I've spent the majority of them alone. Shoot, I was even DUMPED on Valentine's Day one year! But that doesn't deter me.
That doesn't lessen my love for the day.
I love to love others.
I love to make others feel celebrated
And loved
And special.
That's what Valentine's Day is all about.
But here's my question: Why do we only celebrate once a year?
Why do we take only ONE day to stop ourselves from the busyness of our lives and tell the ones we love how MUCH we cherish them?
Why don't we do it EVERY day?
In November, I joined with a few other bloggers in a "Gratitude Challenge." The idea was to find one thing each day to be thankful for, because one day in November just isn't enough. So I find myself tempted with the same idea; show love to another every day, not just on the holiday designated for love. I want to be known for love. I want those around me to feel loved always. The hard reality is that you never know when you won't have the opportunity to love those in your life again. And I don't want to waste ANY time.

So, there you have it. I love Valentine's Day. It makes my heart happy to celebrate the love I have for those in my life. I'm a pretty lucky girl. I am surrounded by people who value and cherish me. I serve a God who loves me with an everlasting love. I'll be sad when this lovely day passes, but I sure won't stop loving... I will, however, stop crying in the card aisle at the store (hopefully) :)