Happy Valentine's Day! Love, Chantelle
I've never had a boyfriend. In fact, I've never even been on a date! And that's okay! It used to make me really, really upset. (Truth be told, it still does sometimes.) It used to be hard for me to be happy for my friends with their boyfriends/girlfriends, hand-holding, and syrupy pet names (barf). And when February 14 rolled around, I would get really moody and basically pout all day. Yes, friends-
I was a Valentine's Day cynic.
Last week, I was digging around in a box of special papers looking for something, and I found a card. This card was given to me a couple years ago on Valentine's Day from the woman I babysat for. On the inside she wrote:
"Valentine's Day is also a great time tell special people how important they are. It's not just for those who have a boyfriend, husband, wife, soulmate, or significant other."
I couldn't help but think, as I reread this, how hard it must be for her each year around this time. See, her husband died when her kids were very small. To my knowledge, she hasn't been in a relationship since then. It dawned on me that if she could still celebrate Valentine's Day, with that ache in her heart, then there was NO reason why I shouldn't be able to as well.
As I sat on my bed, I thought of all the important people in my life. I thought of my crazy amazing family. I thought of my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I thought of friends from home, that I haven't seen in ages. I thought of my roommates. I thought of my YCLs. I thought of Sister Watson. I thought of Shelby in Romania. I thought of Summer and Elizabeth. I thought of my Women's Chorus. I thought of Ben, Lizzy, Nicole, and all of my friends at university... I love all of these people SO incredibly much. I worry about them and pray for them and would do anything for them. And the amazing thing is, I know they feel the same about me. To know that you are loved is an overwhelming feeling. I'm pretty sure that night, my heart grew two sizes. Like the Grinch, minus the green part.
You might not be in a relationship. You might be in a situation where you feel you are not appreciated. Maybe you're separated from your spouse. Maybe you feel like you have no friends or that you don't really fit in. Or that no one could ever love someone like you. I honestly don't know what situation everyone is in out there. But to all of you reading this, if you feel any of these things, I'll be your valentine.
I love you.
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