Valentine's Day

To be truthful, I have never liked Valentine's Day.

When I was very young, the valentine's boxes at elementary school stressed me out! Then high school came.  I never dated anyone in high school but  my sister did! One year she had a guy bring her flowers and about 10 minutes after he left, another brought her chocolate. A guy friend of mine bought be some half price chocolate the next day. That was nice but made me feel only half loved. In college, my first boyfriend and I broke up on Valentine's Day. We knew we weren't right for each other and we tried to make it past Valentine's Day, but we just couldn't.  I met and married a much more wonderful man a few years later, and he loves me every day, but I'm still scarred by my earlier Valentine's Days. Fast forward many years to 2014. My sweet daddy went to heaven on Feb 9 and I drove back home on Valentine's Day. We did meet some friends for dinner, but my head was in a fog.

Today, Valentine's Day falls on Ash Wednesday (and Easter will fall on April Fool's Day - weird liturgical year).  So I'm just trying to be loving to everyone I encounter today and remembering that Jesus loved ALL of us so much that he came to earth and lived with us and died for us.  That's the best love! 

Happy Valentine's to you if the day makes you happy! Happy friend's day to you if that is more acceptable. Happy Feb 14 if that's all it is too!