With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, we are reflecting on love. It’s a day that means something different to all of us. Perhaps you’re celebrating a new relationship. Or maybe you have a long history of Valentine’s Days with your significant other. Maybe you’re single and celebrating the love you share with your friends and family. Does anyone else buy their dog a heart shaped treat? No, just me? There are a lot of types of love and many ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day. What does it mean to love someone? Think of the joys that come with love. How about the sorrows? What are our responsibilities when we choose to love?
When we imagine love, it is easy to think of the beautiful side of it. Remember how you felt the first time you held your child, the first time you fell in love, or maybe the first time that little puppy licked your face. How did that make you feel? Were you filled with a sense of deep affection? Did you feel like the world had stopped and you were in the most perfect place? These feelings of intense affection and pleasure are euphoric.
But there is more to love than sappy cards, chocolates, hugs, and puppy kisses. When we choose to love we have a responsibility to be there when things are difficult. Parents hold their child’s hand when they are sick. Children sit by their fathers as they take their last breath. We are there to witness pain and loss. It is because we can love that we are able to feel sadness, hurt, and pain.
In our darkest moments we may wonder if it is worth it. Is it worth it to love knowing we will be hurt? Is it worth it to care so much knowing that in doing so you may experience loss? And after the pain and the loss, does it make sense to love again? Maya Angelou once said: “Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” Love is such a powerful force that opens our hearts, minds, and souls to so many possibilities and emotions. Have courage to love, even though you may also experience hurt. And have courage to love again after your tears have dried. Because a life without love is the most tragic thing of all.
As you prepare to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, take some time to do your own reflecting on love. What does it mean to you? What types of love are you most thankful for this year?
