So this weekend was Valentines Day where gifts and cards were exchanged between loved ones.  According to the Greeting Card Association, over 1 billion (yes, with a “b”) Valentines Day cards are sent each year.  This makes Valentines Day the 2nd largest card sending holiday of the year.  Valentines Day probably began with purer motives in mind, whereas today it’s big business.

Some believe that if they “get it right” on this day and other holidays that come with high expectations (anniversaries, Christmas, New Years), they are good to go until the next one rolls around.  Why communicate and show your love and affection just this one day?  Why can’t “Valentines Day” be all throughout the year? There’s far less attention to acknowledging the love for the people in our lives from day to day and year to year, that is a slow and steady love.  The kind of love that maybe takes work.  This may not be romance but it is still love.

There’s nothing wrong with celebrating love and romance, but here’s a thought…what if a person’s value isn’t rated on their relationship status?  (Because it’s not).  If you watch any TV or the internet, it tends to exclude those that are single.  Some go into hiding and don’t resurface until February 15th or 16th (depending on if the 14th is on a weekend) and some don’t resurface until March.  Those are the ones that just want to skip the entire month completely.

There are so many different ways to communicate affection with intentional acts for that specific person or for others in our lives that we love.  A powerful love deserves more than a generic expression one day a year.  Love is caring about the well-being of another person. It’s not about fulfilling a romantic need for yourself, to get out of someone else.

Authentic, self-less affection for those in our lives.  The primary calling of all Humanity.  Imagine if everyone lived this way?

Be creative in your expressions…all year long.

Friendship Day is August 7, by the way.