"Love sought is good, but given unsought is better."

Here's my philosophy on February 14th, what has slowly evolved from my own reflections and the ruminations of friends (like copperwise):

Valentine's Day, February 14th, is a day set aside to celebrate love in all forms.

It's not just a romantic holiday, specifically designed to make the "rich in love" seem richer and the "poor in love" contemplate suicide after a few gin and tonics. It shouldn't be a commercial holiday where people feel compelled to show their love through the purchasing of chocolates, flowers, and trinkets.

It is a day, simply, to celebrate love: affection, fondness, philia, agape, eros, and on. It is a day to turn to your friends, and say that you care. A day to spend time with your family, in addition to the private time you seek with a sweetheart. It is a day to see that love is all around you.

This is the Valentine's Day that I celebrate. This is the message I will spread to my friends and teach to my children. It is an important attitude to hold in the face of the commercial crassness to which society tries to bind us.

In a way, I'm going back to kindergarten. I've got a sack full of Valentines for ALL of you, and maybe some sweets too. You are my friends and you are cared for.

(Note: Really, I think that every day in one's life should be a celebration of love. However, people get distracted and down and sometimes forget, so it's good to have a specific holiday set aside to kick one in the pants and remind them of what you should always see and do.)

Today, I left Valentines for many of you at 021408.

I texted my brothers and took them cards.

I took my grandfather a mini-Whitman's sampler and a card, along with a hug.

I called my mom to tell her I love her.

And I wrote this post to all of you.

sirandrew took me out for a lovely lunch at Olive Garden, and gave me a heart-shaped box of ferrero rochet as a physical manifestation of his love that wasn't required but well appreciated. Plus a red balloon! And I'm about to cook us a nice supper of stir-fry and serve up some cocktails.

And I'm leaving him with this:

( Fragile, a short poem written for Andy in 2001... )

P.S. It was Tiger Jack's birthday today! So we brought home some catnip for both kitties. I tried to put some in the little toys that went along with it and promptly spilled it all over the floor instead. This all, plus the toys, plus a balloon that Andy got me, resulted in lots of entertaining cat-action this afternoon (some of which I got videos of). More on that later!