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| Flowers from my Valentine |
Today is Valentine's Day, a holiday dating back the 496 A.D. when Pope Gelasius proclaimed February 14th St. Valentine's day. People world wide go on dates and exchange tokens of their love and affection. It is estimated that 19.7 billion dollars will be spent on gifts in the United States alone this year. That is a lot of flowers and chocolates.
Now don't get me wrong, I think Valentine's Day can be fun, but I also see where for some it may be a source of stress. There can be a lot of pressure to pick the right card, gift or place for dinner, especially now with the invention of social media. Comparisons are bound to happen.
Like most people, especially us girls, I appreciate gifts and think flowers are sweet, I received some today in fact. But I never want to allow my expectations of this one day to over shadow what happens on the other 364.For me the little things that happen on a daily basis mean more than any orchestrated holiday. Wether that is coming home to a clean kitchen because my husband took care of the dishes over his lunch hour, a text from my college son saying "love you Mom", or "thanks for making me dinner" from my youngest son. Most of the time it is something totally unexpected. They each have their own way of showing me that I am loved and appreciated. It is not up to me to decide how they do that. It is up to me to recognize and receive it
We have built a life that I am proud of, based on friendship, humor, communication, faith, love, mutual respect and common goals. All gifts that didn't cost a cent. We work at it. It has not always been easy, but it has been worth it. I am a lucky girl to get to share this life with three of the best fellas I know.
So today as I think about the meaning of Valentine's Day, I realize that if I look hard enough, have the right attitude and manage my expectations, I can have a little bit of Valentine's Day every day of the year.
