Best Valentine's Day Ever

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Hope you all have a beautiful day filled with all types of love. I've actually never been very big on Valentine's Day. I like to do something special, but never over the top. I would rather give and receive love on random days of the year rather than on a day where people feel pressured to show love to one another. Over the years, Valentine's Day has altered its meaning to me. It has morphed from one thing to the next based on where I was in life. I can say that my view of the holiday this year has topped any typical "flowers, candy, and perfect dinner date" day I may have thought of in the past.

As a child, I loved celebrating Valentine's Day at school with my friends by exchanging cute paper Valentine's cards and receiving a little gift from my parents each year. But let's be honest, it was all about the CANDY as a child. In middle school and high school, it was all about showing off what your significant other got for you. Students would walk around the halls with flowers, massive teddy bears, candy and anything to show that they were taken and "loved". It was a great day for those who had someone and a dreaded day by those who didn't. When I was in college, a group of us "single" girls would get dressed up and go to dinner and a movie to celebrate Valentine's Day together. We felt united by doing this and not so alone. I really enjoyed those girl's nights on the day where it would be easy to feel excluded. When my husband and I were dating, it was a day filled with some pressure. It felt like we "needed" to do something special and over the top. It felt like there had to be a gift involved to make the day meaningful. And if you didn't get those things, there was a sense of disappointment.

I have had some good and some bad Valentine's Days over the years, but one thing is for certain, this year is by far the best. I finally see that there is no pressure involved. No need to prove anything. And there never was, I just always felt like I needed to. Valentine's Day is the day of "love" and the meaning of today is just that. I now get excited about Valentine's Day, not especially because of my relationship, but because it is an opportunity for me to show love to everyone in my life. It's not about the flowers, candy, over the top gifts, or relationship status...it's about love. I hope that you take the time to show love to the people in your life on a daily basis, but instead of feeling pressured or sad about today, use it as a day to show love to others. It's a day to be thankful for everyone in your life that you have to love and for those that love you. It makes me sad when girls get down on themselves for not having a "Valentine". Who cares? You have so many people in your life who love you and who you get to love. And that love alone is enough to make this a happy, joyful day.

Happy Valentine's Day to all my family and friends. Don't forget, YOU ARE LOVED. Now go return that love to the world.

BEING ALONE

In our culture today, it's a rare moment when you find yourself to be fully alone. There's always something going on and something that needs to be done. With all of the technology and different ways to communicate with people, it is difficult to not be "connected" to everyone at all times. Even when we do get a spare moment to ourselves, we tend to fill it with some type of distraction: music, texting, Facebook, calling a friend, etc. Let's face it, we don't like to be alone and we don't like to be still. We don't like to feel disconnected with society. Why do we run away from these quiet moments? Why can't we handle feeling alone? Why can't we just be still?

When I get in my car every day after work, I almost always start my call list. I call my mom, my husband, or my best friend until one of them answers. If I can't get ahold of anyone, I turn on music and try to find something to distract me until I get home. Until recently, I had never noticed my desperation in finding something to fill these quiet moments. I just hate feeling alone and having nothing to do. I want a friend, music, or technology to keep me company, so I don't have to sit in that dreaded silence. But what am I so afraid of? Why can't I just sit there and feel the stillness all around me? I feel like I must be doing something at all times. I must be linked to the outside world.

Technology has completely spoiled us. It has made us dependent upon constant communication and constant distraction. We have the world at our fingertips and it's all just one click away. We aren't comfortable distancing ourselves from what's going on in everyone's lives. We feel strange when it's quiet and there isn't anything to keep us busy. We get our satisfaction and fulfillment from our technology and from always having something to occupy our time, whether that thing is significant or not. Although this might seem like a crazy statement that most of us would disagree with, we must ask ourselves where the majority of our times is spent? Is it spent being still, recharging so that we have the energy for our families and friends, talking to God and letting Him speak to us in the silence? Or is it spent on our Facebook, our phones, music, tv, or our tedious and sometimes pointless To Do Lists that we get so wrapped up in?

Taking the time be alone has become something that people just don't do. And I think it's time for that to change. I suggest that we all take the time to be more intentional about disconnecting ourselves from the world. Put your phones down, shut your computers, and turn off the music. Don't be afraid of the silence that will permeate the room. Take the time to focus on what's really important, take the time to pray, take the time to rid your mind of all the junk that's been filling it. It's actually quite refreshing to detach yourself from those vises that we hold so tightly to.