So it's refreshing to go grocery shopping and be surrounded by pink, hearts, love, chocolate, and happiness.
"Wait, Rycee, weren't you the POSTER child of anti-Valentine's in the February 2012 BYU Newspaper?"
Hear me out.
Yes, I was. And you can read it here.
And I still believe Valentine's Day is a hallmark holiday and can create a lot of undue pressure on people to spend money on each other. But between February 2012 and February 2017 I learned a lot about love. Love is hardly the romantic jitters you have for your finance TA or the cute girl in your neighborhood you've been on three dates with.
Serving an LDS mission opened my capacity to love more than I previously had been able to in 21 years. I loved -so dearly- the pastor at the door yelling at me on his doorstep, telling me I was wrong and foolish and going to hell. I wept at his hatred for me, knowing he would never believe in families being together after this life and forever. I loved the little nine year-old girl who learned the song, "I Am a Child of God," and wanted us to sing it with her every time we visited, even though she couldn't be baptized yet. I loved the young women with whom I lived, shared meals, drove, and testified day after day. I loved personalities I never even considered befriending previously.
Then Scott and I grew from friendship to a love that my younger heart had only dreamed of. If I had known then that someone like Scott would come into my life and make me happier than happy, I would have been more patient. Our first two years of marriage were a dream. We went through so many trials together and truly developed a deep and abiding charity and appreciation for each other.
Scott is a different kind of romantic than I. More likely to express his love in chores and service, Scott rarely leaves love notes or posts cutesy things on Facebook declaring his adoration for me. And I don't expect him to. In fact, at my request, he has never brought home flowers. (Dead flowers depress me, even if they smell and look beautiful. Because they are dead.) So when I do find something like this, I know he truly means it:
Love for a spouse is not artificial. Your spouse becomes your family, and you get to know each other's idiosyncrasies and flaws and cheer each other on in life. Scott treats me with kindness and respect. I genuinely have become a better human by interacting with Scott every day the last 2.5 years.
Then we had Hosanna. No, I did not love her at first. *GASP* I read this article (←click here!) which communicates perfectly how I felt as a new mom. In sum, doing my duty as a mother and taking care of my baby lit a fire, which slowly warmed up the empty space in my heart day by day. Now I adore and LOVE my little girl and she is my ray of sunshine.
Here's my point about Valentine's Day.
I now believe that we need February and February 14th to celebrate love. In a current climate of hatred and misunderstanding, we need to revere each other. We honor the commandment to Love God at Christmas by remembering His Son. We heed the commandment to love our neighbor on Valentine's Day. This is why I started the #ShoutoutSaturday tradition on Facebook. I want to write love notes to share the untold story of the heroes and angels in my life. I hope to fill the news feed with more good and less arguing.
So THANK YOU, world, for adopting this Hallmark holiday and giving us a chance to connect. A chance to write love notes. A chance to LOVE.
"Love is the Remedy for ailing families, ill communities, and sick nations. Love is a smile, a wave, a kind comment, and a compliment. Love is sacrifice, service, and selflessness."
(Message from Thomas S. Monson for February 2017)
