Celebrating?

So much hype about Valentine’s Day.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not being cynical but I don’t envy those who seem frantic on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Malls are dressed up with red hearts and red balloons shaped like hearts.  You’d think they are celebrating another  Christmas. Chocolates packaged in heart-shaped containers, fake rose blooms in one corner and those real flowers cost sky-high.

I was watching a morning show today and one of their reporters showed a portion of Dangwa Flower Stalls full of different blooms (imported and locally produced). The price? You bet, it is twice as much from last week. If you’ll have it arranged, you’ll pay more. Those vendors make a killing during these times.  Flower arrangements come in boxes or in a bundle of  dozen roses or one long stem with a little bar of chocolate thrown in. Even eateries and restaurants are full during Valentine’s Day.

When I was still working at the bank many, many years ago and most of us girls were not yet married, we had a grand time teasing those office mates who got flowers.  There was even a time when a singing telegram was in vogue and we laughed while a guy with a guitar serenaded some of us, singing love songs.  Quite embarrassing for the girl to be serenaded in front of all her office mates in the middle of the day. But our boss was always all smiles to see love-a-blooming.

Once you get older, Valentine’s Day is just an ordinary day for you.  It doesn’t mean though that love comes flying out of the window. Sometimes you are just too busy to celebrate it. You can always tell your loved ones any day of the year that they are special and you care.

Do you still celebrate Valentine’s Day?

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February….Still

February is the most romantic month of the year, setting aside of course the month of June where so many take the plunge and get married.  What do you think, is it just because we celebrate Valentine’s day in the middle of February?  Or is it because, every one of us hasn’t lost that streak of romance and still feel so much “kilig” when we see people making a big deal of celebrating Valentine’s day?  Here in our country, there’s that palpable feeling of joy when February comes. Malls get into the bandwagon by offering and luring people to buy expensive items to give their loved ones, restaurants and eateries do their thing as well with well-thought of package of a meal that would make you swoon to high heavens.  Not enough, what about those florist shops that make a killing over some craftily arranged bouquet of flowers, roses particularly, whose price jack up at least three or four times because they sure know that there are lots of customers around this time of the year? Hotels  won’t be  left behind either, they have special packages for couple complete with  long-stemmed roses, breakfast in bed and what-have-you.  All these are mere manifestations of love, romantic love that is!

Love is a universal thing.  We cannot exist without love, we need it to nurture every aspect of our lives.  Have you ever seen a mother gazing at her new-born child with awe and wonder?  That’s love! Have you ever experienced that  sense of belonging in a place that you have just visited or seen and you have that silly grin on your face because you were just happy? That’s God whispering to your ears to listen to the sound of the  sea gently lapping at the rocks on the shore. That’s God whispering to your ears to feel the soft touch of the wind on your face.  That’s God whispering to your ears to simply be quiet and let the music of a singing bird penetrate deep inside your heart.  That’s God whispering to your ears to simply look around you and see those beautiful  blooms on the wayside.  God is always behind every breath we take. God’s love is immeasurable, it’s just that sometimes, we are blinded by worldly things and  forget to appreciate God’s whispers.

Every time I read this quote from  Henry Van Dyke, I am  always reminded of how beautiful love is.

Time is too slow for those who wait,
too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love,
time is eternity….

And Victor Hugo affirms it further by saying,

The greatest happiness of life is the conviction
that we are loved – loved for ourselves, or rather,
loved in spite of ourselves.…

We are never alone when we trust in God, let go and let Him take charge of our life. God has poured out His love into our hearts. (Romans 5:5)

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