Happy Valentine's Day!

This week I've heard so many people say, "I don't get into Valentine's Day. It's just a Hallmark-made holiday, anyway." Well, I say yay for Hallmark! That was just an ingenious business strategy that might never be topped! Besides, I love love, and I love celebrating it! (Read more information about the real history of V-Day.)

Still, I wondered why I love celebrating the holiday. Why have I always looked forward to February 14th? I've only had a boyfriend on Valentine's Day once, so it's not like I ever have anything special to do . . . I dug around in my memories a little bit and came up with the reason. My mom loves Valentine's Day, too.

When my siblings and I were little, my mom would give us valentines. We'd come home from school and there, on the stairs, were little boxes of goodies or cards or trinkets. There are six of us; accordingly, each of six ascending stair steps would have a little present. Mine was on the bottom step.

She still sometimes gets valentines for us now, though it's a little sporadic. But I like that she made the day special for us. I always grew up thinking of Valentine's Day as a holiday for celebrating love in general -- love between a mother and her children, love between siblings, and love between people. It was never a holiday just about romantic love. So when I grew up and didn't have a date on Valentine's Day, it was just no big deal. I could send valentines to anyone; it didn't have to be a significant other.

This year, I sent red and pink and sparkly cards to my nieces and nephew. I was a little late, though, so they might not even get the cards today. Still, I hope they begin to love Valentine's Day as much as I do!


Thing I'm thankful for: my mommy!