Love Beyond Borders
ith love in the air and February 14th in sight, I find myself thinking “Really?! A big teddy bear and box of chocolates? I don’t need that to feel loved!” I mean Valentine’s Day brings lovers to celebrate, and friends to cheers, and more chocolate, teddies and flowers fill the front displays of stores. I get the whole thing. I distinctly remember as a child Valentine’s being a very exciting event, one with much anticipation and extreme preparation. I can recall the immense pressure to pick the prettiest and most perfect Valentine’s cards. I remember spending 20 minutes in Superstore with my mom, obsessing on if I would pick the Disney Princess or the Minnie Mouse cards. It was a big deal! I had to go home and write the names of all my class mates on each one, seal the envelope with a little sticker, attach a chocolate and have them ready for delivery to their paper made “mail boxes”. Oh good old elementary school days!
It’s quite amazing how the meaning of holidays change as we change in our lives. Now I am in my 20’s and engaged, and truly Valentine’s does not elicit the same gravity and attention it used to. I mean sure it’s nice to get chocolates, and some special treatment or even a dinner out, but heck I want that EVERY month, not just on February 14th! I am lucky enough to be engaged to the sweetest man there is who takes the liberty to celebrate our love every week to every month with a special date, and I feel everyday when we talk that we are celebrating. Now I might just be young and in love, but the truth is, not just the holiday based on St. Valentine, or the second weekend in February is necessary for acts of love, or massive teddy bears and chocolate. I see love as a daily act. I see love as a choice, and I also see that many holidays, not just February 14th, make me feel that immense thankfulness I have for the ones I love. I feel that same love on Christmas and Thanksgiving, at weddings, at my grandparents’ house, at my parents’ home, and in my brothers’ company. I feel love when I speak to those who appreciate, honour and choose me in every season, whether that’s the second week of February or not.
“Love is about lifetimes. It is year round, month-long, week-long, day-long, in every second of every day. Love is a journey and a choice. It is choosing those around us, to honour and always be kind, to be courageous enough to love beyond borders.”
I sincerely hope you have a wonderful week and are treated wonderfully with all the glamour and elegance that Valentine’s brings. Moreover, I hope you are treated with kindness, warmth and love everyday of your beautiful lives.
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