Feb. 14 editorial: A day of romantic love, silly to some, serious business for others
Today is Valentine's Day. Perhaps I should be more concerned about the local and national economy. Maybe I should be writing about whether it is appropriate to put a kazillion-story condo unit in Freeport. But today I have other things on my mind.
As many of you know, my husband succumbed to cancer in May. To say it has been a struggle is a laughable understatement. I won't bore you with a description of what losing your partner does to you, the hole it leaves inside you and the devastation it brings to your life.
And still I find myself hoping. Hoping I will find a new person to love, a new best friend. Because in reading the love stories that were sent to The Sun for our Valentine's Day paper that is the one thing that stands out in all of them.
True love is based on trust, friendship and a kinship of spirits and beliefs. And you know almost immediately, this is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.
Some would argue with that and there is truth to their argument. Sometimes the feeling is one-sided. Sometimes, the person you meet isn't really the person behind that gorgeous set of eyes. And yes, you always need to take time to get to know a person before you declare yourself to "be in love." And there certainly should be parameters set before the relationship is cemented in the bonds of matrimony.
But ask around: How did you meet your spouse? Chances are you'll get an answer like, "I saw her across the room and just knew I had to meet her," or "He was the most handsome guy I'd ever seen."
It's a tingling in your fingers when you first shake hands that blossoms into a wildfire that consumes you. It is the warmth of that fire that sustains the two for the rest of their lives.
Dating back hundreds of years, St. Valentine's Day celebrates the romance that exists between two people, and more recently the platonic love between two friends.
According to Wikipedia, "The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion Valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas." People like being in love and having others love them back.
So what is my point to all this?
Don't wait.
Don't wait for the economy to get better. Don't wait until you get a better job, or in some cases, any job. Don't wait until just the right time.
If you are in love with someone, confess your love. Write a note, send a gift, sing a song or just let the words come from your heart as you tell someone dear to you how much you love him or her. Celebrate the joy that comes from loving someone. Take a chance and let your heart have its way on this one day of the year when love is elevated to the art form it rightly should be.
It doesn't have to be a sweetheart. It can be a close friend, your mother, father, brother, sister or cousin. Love is the strength that will carry us through the trials we will all face in these next months and years. Let us elevate love to its proper status as a place from which great things can emerge, on a personal level and yes even a national level. Love yourself, love those around you, love your country.
Love people not things.
