this day for valentines

Divine chocolate hearts. Pink red roses wrapped in delicate paper. Poems in charming cards. Sweet lollipops. Baskets filled with daisies and ribbons. A bottle of red wine and a plush teddy bear.

How wonderful Valentine's day is!

Everyone takes a closer and special look at the love of their lives, and uses this day to put aside some time for good extra hugging and caring.

I love a happy valentine. I am not one of those who smirk at its celebration. This year, my balloons and heart-shaped pizza came by delivery. But as I take a particular pause, I realize that I take love for granted.

For what is Valentine's day to her whose husband already died? He was the sweet kind you know, but the sweet kind who does it in a gruffy unsuspected way that it would make the whole effort from him twice as special. Will she sit down a few minutes during the day and reminisce how their love started?

Does Valentine day smile at him whose wife is sick? He would use to take her for a spin in a simple dance, but today she can't keep her balance anymore. Oh if she were better, she would have cooked up some magic dish in the kitchen and have it served for dinner. How can he invite her to sing a few songs?

Is Valentine's day kind to those who have not found their love? They laugh and joke that they would go in a park somewhere and get themselves shot. But alone inside their bedrooms, will they long and sigh for a beloved one who went away without ever knowing they were loved?

How is the Valentine season to lovers who cannot be together? One of them might be in another country to make a living. Or one of them may just be in the opposite side of the table, looking across the other, but whose heart is dead here and is longing for someone else somewhere. Does Valentine give you the liberty to be where you want to be?

Valentine's day turns the whole world red. And I know that for some, it may be the color of pain. And I know that I must value each Valentine celebration that I have, whether it be practically simple or romantically sweet. For I am also aware that the flowers will wither and the chocolate box will become empty.

I cannot fathom the heart and what it can carry. But in its varied surprising ways, the heart loves. And it wakes up each morning and faces each day for the opportunities it is given in order to grow and rejoice until the next February 14.