Thursday, February 14, 2008

Open Letter: Valentine's Day




Dear Valentine’s Day,

I love you!

I know, you’re surprised, right? I bet you thought I hated you. So many people do, after all. But not me! Now, don’t go getting a big head about this or anything. I don’t like everything about you.

For example*, I can’t stand all the dumb jewelry commercials that take over the TV (as if women can be bought). (Inner letter: Dear Women of the World, Don’t be bought by some meaningless piece of jewelry. It’s a waste. How does he treat you? Does he take out the trash? These are the things that matter. Sincerely, Liz)

I also don’t like all the crap in the stores. Mass marketing has sucked the life out of you, Valentine’s Day. (FYI: If I had a husband (looking skyward and throwing a silent prayer to the heavens), I wouldn’t want him to buy me any of the junk that has been commercially produced. No, I’d want him to write me a sonnet, or at the very least, a letter. And I’d want him to do all the little chores I’ve been nagging him to do for the last three months.)

But, despite all this, I still love you. Why? Because today thousands of people take the time (however begrudgingly) to tell a person that he or she is loved. And this is a good vibe to send out into the atmosphere. Love!

So often, the daily-ness of life takes over. We have to rush to pick up our dry cleaning. Or stop by the grocery store. Or pay the bills. Or get gas. Or drop off the kids at their soccer game. Or go to work. Etc. And we get so involved with just surviving that we forget to thank those around us. We forget that some other person in this world has agreed to marry us and be a witness to our lives. We forget parents who’ve sacrificed everything. Siblings who are our friends. Friends who are our family.

We forget that life is about loving one another.

And, hopefully, you help us remember that, Valentine’s Day. You help us stop and dedicate a day to love. And I just wanted to say “thanks.”

Love,
Liz


*I also HATE when people call you “Valentime’s Day.” It’s “tines” people, not “times”!!! I mean, seriously, why do people say this? Ugh!

4 comments:

Gina said...

Amen to it all...and double amen to the "times" comment. I wouldn't give my kids their gifts today until they pronounced it correctly. signed - the Hag

rachelsaysso said...

Ah, love. What a sweet post. And I would also like to say that I don't like it when people say, "Happy V-Day"

Ms. Liz said...

There was a Valentine's Teen Girl Squad last year when they addessed the "times" issue and it was tre funny. http://www.homestarrunner.com/tgs12.html

Liz the Poet said...

Liz, I LOVE Strongbad! Thanks for pointing this out to me. I think I missed it last hear...