What does it mean, Valentine’s Day?
During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.
For many of us the meaning of Valentine’s Day changes as we age.
What does Valentine’s Day mean today?
For me it’s a passing of winter. A day to add more color and reflect on all the love in my life. As a young woman it was a day to find love. Hope to have a date, and make sure my outfit was perfect for it, and be sad, or happy depending on both.
It was a day to dream of a great love. The kind of love you read about in books, or watch in movies. The kind of soul wrenching ❤️ love fairytales are made of.
Love is earned!
love
noun
1. an intense feeling of deep affection
As we grow older we realize that kind of love is earned. Love is worked for, and even gained, by years and years of practice. Fairytales are real…..oh THEY ARE REAL believe me. I helped make them happen daily, for 15 years in my previous day job.
I was a big part of the daily building of a fairytale wedding. The hopes and dreams a bride has are a very special thing. It is a piece of who she is as a women, both with, and without her special someone. Her vision is often from her childhood, just built in the present. It’s a gift to build a dream with someone. It is also that gift, and realization of it, that keep you building once you start.
Marriage is commitment and lots of work!
October 4th, 2008 our wedding day! 
One of the best, if not THE best, day of my life!
As we age we just begin to start to understand the commitment that is marriage. How hard it is, and how often those that fail, give up, or give in, make us feel. It is a common practice today, to start over.
Love is hard. Loving is even harder. Loving someone for who they are, not who you want them to be is the hardest. Understanding the difference is part of the process. Being patient and true to yourself in the process sometimes gets lost. It’s no longer about you, but us. What matter’s most is that you grow together, support each other, and compromise along each step.
My in law’s have been married for 41 years. 
My parents were married in 1968.
Tomorrow is also a day to remember those we have lost 💔 !
My sister in law passed away in 2019. 
Our family has not been complete since we lost her. 
She was a light in the world that can not be replaced. 
We miss her so much every day. 
She was so full of life and love. 
Hy husband had a bond with her like I have never seen before.
Valentine’s Day is a day to remember those we love. It is a day to be thankful. A day to stop and dream again. To dream of spring, a growing love you already have, or yearn for. It is a day to remember those we have lost and those who have less than we do. To give and to cherish.
To remember those we love and have lost is the hardest part of love. Those memories make us who we are today. It’s important to make the time to do that. When we lock them away to protect our hearts we become bitter, and stop feeling. Only when we let those feelings surface, can we truly move on and be at peace!
And don’t forget those furry friends we ❤️ !
Kitty Wompus was my first kitty love. 
The new love of my life Scout. He has been there for me daily since this past summer. He is my best friend and follows me everywhere. I could not survive without him ❤️ ! 
We had a bond that even death can’t break and I do wait for the day we will be reunited! I 💯 believe he was my grandfather reincarnated to watch over me during the hardest years of my life!
Pets bring a love to our lives that you only understand if you have one. I bond with animals in an etherial way. I always have. Princess was my first beagle and I still often think of her. She was there in my darkest days growing up.
Wompus was my confidant during my roughest times in my thirties. There were long nights when I would cry and he would snuggle in and just be there for me.
Scout is the same today, my tiger kitty. Cletus was my orange tabby I clung to when Wompus died, and during quarantine. He saved me from grief, and a feeling of despair I hadn’t felt since my grandmother died.
Animals sense loss, and they also know love more than any creatures on earth. They are angelic to me.
Spring is here in 33 more days 🌸 !
As we edge toward spring and watch the days grow longer our hearts get fuller. We yearn for longer sunlight, more time outside, and the smell of fresh plants and tree’s. I think in Wisconsin especially, I know I long for the smell of fresh cut grass and the warmth of the breeze. I crave the need for plants, sunshine and start to garden.
Be thankful for all 💕 in your life!
My husband and his best friend Bill on vacation. 
A young lady who came into my life and will never leave it. She is a light that shines brighter than anyone I have ever met. 
My longtime best friend from college who I don’t get to see often but love like the sister I never had. 
My families life long friends at the beginning. I think this must be 1978.
This Valentine’s Day be thankful for all the love you have and have shared over your lifetime. Lifelong friends are to be cherished and loved. Remember to tell them how much they mean to you tomorrow. We often forget to do that.
Many of us have experienced great loss over the past few years due to Covid 19. Life loss, love lost, job loss, routine’s lost, the list is endless. As we try to live in our “new normal,” I think it’s crucial that we learn to appreciate what we DO have, not what we have lost.
To start if you are reading this you are still here and that’s a big one.
I hope you find comfort in your ❤️ !
My brother, myself and my dad in 1976. 
My godson is the highlight of my life whenever I get to see him. 
He is also my mom’s greatest treasure. 
My brother is my steadfast supporter and always will be. 
Hunter glows when you hug him close. I hope he always does. 
Ryan and Hunter have an unbreakable bond that has been forged over the past 14 years. 
My mom is my biggest fan and always will be. 
My husband loves Hunter like his own. 
There smiles bring me so much joy. 
The newest addition to our family. Kellen has his Auntie Miranda’s zest for life.
Today I wish you all a very Happy Valentine’s Day.
I hope you find peace and comfort in your love and a renewed heart. Spring is here in 34 more days. The sun is setting later and later each day, and we will be enjoying the summer sunshine, and complaining about the heat before you know it!
Happy Valentine’s Day to all my readers, I am thankful for all your ❤️ every single day!
The foyer of our home holds them all close. 
My mom wrote a book this year to celebrate the life of our family and all it’s treasures!
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