What comes to mind when you hear the world 'Valentine"? It is the day when love is venerated to the most lofty seat and a declaration of love is mostly welcomed and almost for sure is responded with outburst of hysteria (double the effect with heart-shaped chocolates or hand-picked fresh roses). Bottom line: it's all about this cute dreading yet compelling thing called love.
As time goes by, I feel my understanding of love has been forged and sharpen through life experiences. Love used to be a reciprocal win win relationship, where both parties gained their portion of interest. That is why, loving has never been tough - with likable friends who share common interests, with teams whose sole existence is to please and never rebuke , with car-drivers who never cut you off on the street, with pretty waitress who constantly poses amiable smile - loving is a piece of cake. Slowly, I came to realize that those manifestations do not even come close to love, they simply mean responding logically to other's good deeds with good faith (Because he's good, I am responsible to pay his goodness back).
Unfortunately, love goes beyond all that. Everyday, there is a battle between conscience and human nature (and most of the time over simple and trivial annoyances) - to love or not to love. Again, I came to realize that genuine love runs across the board, even to those you don't think love-deserving: colleagues who fervently try to bring you down, friends or roomies who talk behind your back, customer service reps who are being rude, and even to those politicians who gobble up people's money. These kinds of manifestations stand in bright contrast with the previous one. They mean responding illogically to other's good or bad deeds, still with good faith.
Because of that, valentines day - a day of love - should not be confined to a day in February. Everyday is valentines, an opportunity to extend our love to those we love, we despise, and also to those who are in need of love.
Let me close this entry by sharing one of the many opportunities to share love to those who need it the most. World Vision, an organization dedicated to improve children's welfare, made the privilege to sponsor a child possible. I have been sponsoring two children from Indonesia for more than a year now, and with only $30/month for a child, it has been blessings in my part to see these children grow up with love, medical care, and education in their hands. It is also blessings to know that their future may be better off with a simple dedication from our part to colour the world with love.
Therefore, this is a call to love - and to learn; The learning curve is infinite, and there will always be ample rooms for improvements. But, the time is now to start learning to love genuinely without anticipating 'a catch'. Now is also the time to celebrate love not only on this specific day, but every single day. Yes, let's make every day a valentines day!!
Click http://flickr.com/photos/couleursgm/389326184/ and http://flickr.com/photos/wolfsoul/2264628230/ to see the pictures
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