Valentine's Day, but for non-lovers

It probably seems odd for a Divorce Mediator to be writing about a day made for lovers, but the truth is, I've always thought of February 14th as a day for love generally, not for romance specifically.

Perhaps it was because of my grandparents. As immigrants, they never really understood the concept of Valentine's Day as it is traditionally stands, and would shower us grandkids with gifts of chocolates and stuffed toys and love and we would have an elaborate dinner while my parents were out on a romantic date. It didn't matter how many times we told them that they should be celebrating the day together, just the two of them, since they were 'in love' and that was what the day was all about! But they were having none of it - they loved the idea of celebrating all the love!

This morning, my 9 year old daughter surprised my husband and I with coffee in bed and a sweet homemade gift of hug and kiss tokens. We snuggled in and told each other all the things we loved about each other and It was bliss.

Typically this is not a day overly celebrated by my husband and I, maybe we will write a card, on occasion we've done a dinner or shared a nice bottle of wine after the kids went to bed, but for the most part, this is not a day of high importance in our relationship.

This morning, however, was a reminder that I want to embrace my grandparents' enthusiasm and celebrate all the love. May today be a reminder to for you to send love out to those who mean something to you, who were there when you needed it, who bring you joy.

Today I was spoiled by someone I love more than life itself, and it felt amazing. It doesn't always need to be about romance, sometimes it can just be about celebrating love.