love is all you need?

Yay, it's Valentine's Day! (aka Singles Awareness Day)

the evilest Disney prince ever

I freely admit that I'm a Valentine's Day cynic. I don't particularly enjoy the holiday and have never had the sort of Valentine seen in movies or books or dreams. But I do get Valentines from my family and friends that just make me smile and remember that I am loved. And as a person who gets more than a little depressed during the winter, this is a good and much needed thing for me. 

 

i love t-rex. i couldn't find a source for this.

One year when I was particularly down and cynical about the whole "love thang". I had an epiphany about this day. Valentine's Day is like Thanksgiving Day!

We should express and show our gratitude every day. Seems a little silly to have a day dedicated to expressing gratitude when you think about it... And yet we have this holiday every fall where we gather with family and friends, eat ourselves to death, watch football, sleep off turkey comas, (and in some cases get an early start on our Christmas shopping) all in the name of giving thanks, and celebrating gratitude. 

Can  you see where I'm going with this yet?

via here

A part of me agrees with the naysayers of Valentine's Day. We should be telling our loved ones that we do indeed love them every day, and we shouldn't need a holiday to remind us to do that. We also shouldn't need a holiday to remind us to be grateful.

And so here we are with this "silly" holiday that celebrates love. And you know what? It's okay to celebrate love. I received Valentine roses from my dad (Papa Bear) this week along with a note that said, "A Daughter Bear for a Valentine! What more could I ask for? Love, Dad". And I sat and cried, because I knew he did love me--I knew it before he sent me roses. But I really appreciated the extra effort he made to let me know that he did. He also called to make sure I received the flowers, and told me that he wanted to make sure that I got a Valentine this year. Sometimes it's the little things that can make all the difference. 

via Gayana

I think we need to celebrate love, because heaven knows that we all need it. Stop for a minute and look around. I bet there are people around you who need a little extra love. 

via bewareofimages