A Time to Celebrate

A Time to Celebrate-Valentine’s Day

As a former kindergarten teacher, Valentine’s Day was a remarkable holiday. Children focused on their new occupation as mail carriers-writing out cards and carefully delivering them into the hand painted shoeboxes adorned with hearts and doilies. As a teacher some of the particulars included collecting shoeboxes year-round and making sure parents received a complete and updated list of classmate’s names to insure no one was left out.

 The classroom was aglow with red and pink -shirts and dresses- with hand-cut hearts decorating each window pane. It is early that we learn to celebrate love and fairness-there is an excitement in the new responsibilities of reading names and sharing love.

 Some people shy away from Valentine’s Day- not wanting to commercialize love. For me, I decided early in life to celebrate whatever I could-finding a reason to shift slightly from the everyday of every day to add some sparkle to life. From Groundhog Day to the first day of spring, we celebrate. We celebrate all birthdays including our pets, all of the traditional holidays as well as any life event. There is something beautiful about that. Life is to be celebrated-with hearts and twinkly lights, candles, novelty napkins-appetizers and music-or anything that makes your heart sing. Nothing major or elaborate or pricey- just celebrating the precious gift of life.

 So today we celebrate love-past or present, human- divine, canine, feline, friendship, earth, home, country-love holds so much possibility. Wishing you a beautiful day of celebration.