Valentine’s a Day to Express All Forms of Love

Sharon Zwach, Class of 2014
February 10, 2012
Filed under Quill

I can’t help but wonder why some people feel depressed on Valentine’s Day. Some feel that it is a cruel reminder of the fact that they are not in a relationship. Yet, people are only alone if they close their door to others. Valentine’s Day and many other holidays were not created to separate people or bring sadness, but to provide an opportunity to bring people together in order to express love and joy.

These special days do not celebrate what one does not have, but rejoice in all the blessings that one does have. Blessings are endless. There is the blessing of parents, the blessing of friendship, and the blessing of serving those less fortunate. There is the blessing of life itself, of being able to watch the canvas sky be painted new every day. There is the blessing of a home, the first place to experience the unconditional love between a parent and a child. There is the blessing of food and clothes, of being able to always have enough to support oneself. There is the blessing of an education, of being able to read, learn, communicate, and change the world. Depending on what you are looking for, you will find it.

While you may not have that romantic relationship on Valentine’s Day, you can have that same kind of love for life; it can be found in all the relationships you do have. Call home to parents, write letters to friends, or help someone you may not know. Take the opportunity to enjoy Valentine’s Day because it only comes once a year. Take a moment to surprise someone. Surprising someone may surprise you. There are so many opportunities to love. Valentine’s Day was not created to bring sadness. It is a day set aside to honor Saint Valentine by remembering the purpose for our existence: we were born to love. For as the Beatles once sang, “the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

Valentine’s Day is not only once a year. It is something to be celebrated every day.