Yes, this is a blog post about Valentine’s Day. But before you roll
your eyes and scroll past this, hear me out. I want to talk about love, but not
just romantic love. In fact, I want to talk about anything but romantic love.
For many years, I had always disliked Valentine’s Day. To me, it was a
reminder of how miserably alone I was while everyone else was totally in love. It
never failed to make me feel completely and utterly hopeless when it came to
relationships. But now that I have found love, I can finally see Valentine’s
Day for what I believe it is truly meant to be.
There are many different kinds of love besides romantic. First, there
is family love. I have been blessed with an amazing, albeit unique and quirky,
family. Sometimes I feel like I am nothing like them, but then I am reminded of
how alike we all really are. They don’t even have to say it; I know they love
me with all of their hearts. We are bonded together by blood, but it’s a bond
that goes beyond obligation. We have each other’s backs, in good times and bad.
That is love.
Then there is friend love. My friends. Where do I even begin? From new
ones to old, I truly believe I have the best of the best. Friends are the
family you get to choose, but I don’t think I could have picked them out if I
tried. God brought these people into my life, and I can’t thank Him enough for
that. I can lean on them in times of struggle and laugh with them in times of
happiness. I would be nothing without these people. That is love.
Next up is God’s love. 2018 was the year I discovered my faith again.
Since about August, I have been working on rebuilding my relationship with God.
It’s been a bit rocky over the past few years, but if there’s one thing I
learned in these last 6 months, it’s that even though I feel as if I have
strayed from God, He has always been right there. He has seen me at my worst
and still chooses to love me. That is love.
Last but certainly not least, there is self-love. This is the hardest
one in my opinion, and definitely the one I’ve struggled with the most. It is
easy to look in the mirror and point out our flaws, but I challenge you to wake
up each day and think of what you like most about yourself, internally or
externally. It is truly life changing. Surround yourself with people who build
you up and make you a better person, a person you can be proud to be. You can’t
love others until you love yourself. It’s cheesy but all too true. Once you
learn to love and value yourself, you will see the beauty in yourself that
others have always seen. That is love.
So before you go moping around this Valentine’s Day, think about all of
the love in your life besides romantic love. You probably have a lot more to be
grateful for than you think. Love is the strongest emotion and the most sought
after. You are so loved, in more ways than you probably know. Hold onto that
feeling, and spread it around for all to experience.
“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by
ourselves alone - we find it with another.” –Thomas Merton
