What If We All Chose To Love?

There are some really stinking creative people at Google. I love the Google homepage on holidays and during fun seasons. My all-time favorite was yesterday. In case you missed it, it was the most adorable video of a boy trying to impress and show love to a girl (you can watch the video below, courtesy of YouTube).

Showing love is a tricky thing. It all depends on who you are and who is around you. Everyone shows and receives love in different ways. Sometimes roses and chocolates work. Other times stuffed animals, dinosaur sweaters, diving helmets, and balloons work well. But sometimes, what someone really needs is to have another person come alongside them in what they are doing or going through. To me, that shows the most love.

I was criticized by my father and all the girls at work about being "cynical" about Valentine's Day. If you know me, I am anything but cynical. However, I don't think Valentine's Day is a big deal. One of the best pieces of advice I've gotten as I have been preparing to get married is that "Love is not a feeling, it's a choice." And I choose to show love every single day, so why should Valentine's Day be any different or any more special? I chose to make yesterday more special, because I knew that's what others around me needed, but I don't need it to be. Everyday I choose to love Josh, regardless of what he's going through, his mood, or how much he shows me love. Everyday I choose to love the troubled teenage girls I work with no matter of what attitude or piece of furniture they may throw my way. Everyday I choose to love the random people I encounter because you never know what they're facing and how much a smile may help. Everyday I choose to love, so therefore, to me, everyday is Valentine's Day. And therefore, February 14th isn't a big deal.

A friend's blog post about Valentine's Day shared the tragic love story of St. Valentine and the legendary origins of Valentine's Day. She also challenged her readers to share their favorite quotes, stories, or memories about love. I don't have any of those to share at this time, but instead, I want to leave you with a question...
What keeps you from loving those around you as if everyday were Valentine's Day? Because I think that if we all made the choice to really love those we encounter today, the world would get a little bit brighter for tomorrow.

*You can check out Meghan's blog about Valentine's Day by clicking here.