Since my kids were little, I always made sure to get each of them something special for Valentines Day, and we tried to love them extra and be sure to express it fully, specifying what was special about each of them, and so on. From my perspective, the point behind honoring St. Valentine’s martyrdom was always meant to be about showing love intentionally and purposefully to all others in one’s life, to love unconditionally with the love of God. Yes, a day was picked to specifically celebrate St. Valentine, and yes, our culture has romanticized it (partly due to some of the legends about St. Valentine).

Regardless, for me, it’s a day for me to tell my immediate family that I love them and why I love them, and it’s a day to be more aware of God’s love and my desire to show that in my life in all that I do.  Do I always accomplish that, no….I don’t always show others the love of God in the way He would desire me to do.  I’m human and I fail miserably in the realm of being loving, at times.

My hope is that the overall viewpoint of my life, when people look back to survey it after I’m gone, will be that I was loving, kind, compassionate, accepting and welcoming, to friend, family, stranger….to all.  This was the legacy of my mom, I believe, that she passed on to me, through some of her words, but mainly through her actions, her day-to-day consistent, intentional way of living and loving.

As you may know, mom passed away December 27. I have been very quiet on social media since that time, including my writing in this space. I’m still feeling that I would prefer silence for a while, as I grieve, as I transition and move forward.

However, on this Valentines weekend, I wanted to share a bit about my mom and her legacy of love. 💖 She sacrificed for others as a habit, probably to her own detriment at times, though she wasn’t perfect. Yet, even in her imperfect, human ability to love, she showed love by asking forgiveness and apologizing, even before the other person realized she had wronged them in any way.

I could go on for hours about her, and perhaps I should write a book to honor her… Yet, for now, may it be sufficient to say that her love, and way of loving, shaped me and will continue to guide me as I live out my life on this Earth. I’m so very thankful for the love of my mom, and I’m at peace with her passing as she can finally rest and be held in her Father’s arms.