“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
― Laozi
― Laozi
The husband and I don’t usually make special effort to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but I’ve had this thought ringing in my mind the past week that Valentine’s Day is really not just for lovers. It is simply a day where we celebrate love in our midst. Love exists in many forms – between parents and children, between siblings, between friends and even between two complete strangers exchanging a smile on the streets.
Love is so important. Without love, there is no substance or certainty. Without love, life loses its meaning. Without love, there can be no hope for the future. Love is not just an emotion or feeling. Love can be seen and heard. Love talks.
I am a very blessed woman - Never for one moment in my life have I felt unloved. On the contrary, I’ve always been surrounded by people who loves me for who I am.
As a kid, my parents love me with all their hearts. While many people often feel that their parents favor their siblings over them, I’ve always felt like the more favored one. It might not be the case – I believe my parents love my brother and I equally in their own ways – but at least my parents made me feel special. As an elder sister to my brother, I’ve always felt his love for me even though we fought a lot as kids. He always tells me how much he looks up to me and how he feels proud to be my little brother. The truth is, I am the one who’s mightily proud of him and how he’s become the responsible, humble and dependable man he has grown up to be. Now that I am married, my in-laws continue to shower their love on me in different ways. My mother-in-law helps me with the household chores and the kids, and she is a constant reminder on matters I miss out at home. My father-in-law calls every evening to ask me if I want any food!
Ever since I got attached to my then-boyfriend-now-husband 20 years ago, I’ve been showered with love and affection. He is not a perfect man of course, but perfect for me in every way. He always makes me feel that I am his priority (even after the kids came along!) and that he wants to give his best for me. We may have our squabbles and disagreements, but I always have the assurance that I can always fall back on him no matter what happens. There is seriously nothing more I can ask for in a life partner. And how about my kids? Their love for me is regardless of how good a mother I am to them. Even though I don’t spend enough time with them, or shower them with as much love as I would like to, they continue to love me with all their hearts. They absolutely complete my life.
This Valentine’s Day, my heart is filled with gratefulness to God for putting so much love around me in my life. God shows His love for me in so many ways that I have never felt alone or abandoned. He placed me in a wonderful church, helped me to grow and serve Him. He gave me a wonderful spiritual family both at work and in ministry. He gave me great friends and buddies who are constant reminders of His goodness in my life. I am a blessed woman, filled with love and cuddled by love.
This Valentine’s Day, are you showing your love to the people who mean the world to you? Come link up your blog posts with the following linky, and when you are done, hop around to check out what lovey dovey posts the rest have come up with. Let this be a season filled with love and warm fuzzy feeling everywhere! :)
PS: Check out this really cool Eat, Play Love cafe too!
PS: Check out this really cool Eat, Play Love cafe too!
