VD Panic Throughout the Nation

Happy Valentine’s Day! Hahahahaha… did you think this post would be about venereal diseases?

Not that we should make light of venereal diseases. In fact, I plan to talk about venereal diseases in graphic detail with Tony in front of our children when they are older. For fun. But also because they are a real problem and extremely gross and we should work to promote safe sex.

I know a bunch of people who hate Valentine’s Day. Or, as some of them call it, “Singles Awareness Day.” Pooh on them, I say. This day is about LOVE, and there are so many kinds of love, and love should be celebrated, and the cookies and candy are nice, too, and you can buy those for yourself, because you love yourself. And all of you love someone and have someone who loves you. Even if it’s “just” your mother. But don’t think about it as “just” your mother, because I’m here to tell you that a mother’s love is stronger than almost anything in the whole world. Except for maybe your dog’s love. Although a dog’s love is shorter-lived, canine lifespans being what they are.

When I was younger, the worst thing about Valentine’s Day was when the Key Club or whatever would sell roses or carnations and then deliver them in school. I (along with many of my classmates – all girls, of course) spent the whole day waiting for a delivery that didn’t come. Why? Because teenaged boys are dumb. And if you are a teenaged girl, trust me, that is all the explanation needed. Someday, they’ll wise up, I promise.

Later, my dad would always send me flowers on Valentine’s Day. It made my heart happy to receive a bouquet from him every year in college – much more so than receiving flowers from some dumb boy. I knew my daddy loved me more than any other male and those flowers always made me feel special to him.

Now, I am lucky enough to get valentine gifts from many boys… flowers from my husband, a card from my brother, kisses from my toddler, nuzzles from my dog (okay, those last two happen every day). But here’s the thing: the flowers, cards, and candy are just expressions of something I know they feel. And tonight, I’ll try to show Tony, Charles, and Buster how I feel about them through heart-shaped pizza and heart-shaped cookies. Because Valentine’s Day is a day for expressing love. And sad as it is to note, many of us do not express love to those we care about on a daily basis. And yes, sometimes the expression of love is expensive. After all, without some small personal sacrifice, actions don’t have much meaning. I can tell a person I love him/her, but to sacrifice my time, money, or what have you to show them? That is real love.

And so, maybe I’ll just make a really late resolution for 2011: I’m going to show my love more often this year. I’ll try to send care packages and give gifts. I’ll make more phone calls and drop more letters in the mail. I’ll spend a bit more time smooching with Tony (when he’s not sleeping off a long day of preparing taxes). I’ll do more favors. There are so many, many people in this world whom I love, and they should know.

Counting your blessings is so much easier than cataloguing your complaints. Listing the people you love and finding ways to show them should be easy, too. So stop complaining about the “commercialization” of this “Hallmark” holiday and enjoy Valentine’s Day by celebrating all the love in your life!