Happy Valentine’s Day!

Whoever you are,

Whoever you are with, or without,

Make to most of this special day, in whatever way fits best for you.

Here are my thoughts for sharing –

with a few of the photos that I love, too…

Slightly off beat from the usual February 14th angle, perhaps,

but aren’t there many ways to look at it..?

My First Attempt at Growing Carrots!

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“You don’t love someone because they’re perfect,

you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.”

Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper

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“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.”
William W. Purkey

‘To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.’

Oscar Wilde

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“You cannot be lonely if you like the person you’re alone with.”

Wayne Dyer

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‘If you’re on your own this valentines day,

why not give yourself a budget – treat yourself, indulge, enjoy –

just because you’re worth it!’

Emma 🙂

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”

Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”

William Shakespeare (All’s Well That Ends Well)

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‘If you have integrity, nothing else matters.

If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.’

Alan K Simpson.

Perfect Pair

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‘In this life, we cannot do great things.

We can only do little things with great love.’

Mother Teresa

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‘Love is a game that two can play and both win.’

Eva Gabor

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“I would die for you. But I won’t live for you.”

― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

An even more perfect pair.

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“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.”

Elbert Hubbard

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“To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived – this is to have succeeded.”

Bessie Anderson Stanley

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Love is a just a word, but it comes in many different forms and means different things to different people.  I spent many years in a relationship with a wonderful man, who gradually, sadly, turned out to be an alcoholic.  A very different person from the man I married.  For years, I thought that the power of love could overcome the poison of the alcohol and it’s increasingly destructive effects.  But love isn’t that powerful.  To work, it needs to be nurtured with respect (for oneself as well as another, on both sides) and honesty (again, with oneself as well…on both sides).  Alcohol  is a strong and pervasive poison.  It twists minds over time, and irrevocably shapes the everyday and long-term lives of the alcoholic and of each person living with them.   Like a weed that’s out of control, gradually suffocating a beautiful garden.  Turning away from the man I loved was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.  The circumstances of that time, and picking up the pieces for our family single-handed nearly destroyed me.  Sheltered by the ‘love’ of his family, trying to do the right thing, but not prepared to admit that he was an alcoholic until very recently (years later), has nearly destroyed him.  Literally.  ‘Love’ does mean different things to different people.

Hence the focus on integrity, truth, and respect in my list of quotes.

Love, it seems to me, is not enough if it doesn’t encompass those attributes too.

And my song for today speaks to me about love – honest love, which knows and accepts the real person, understanding that if that is not going to come from / be received by  another, it must come from within…

‘I can’t get used to living without you by my side… I don’t want to live alone.  But God knows, I’ve got to make it on my own.‘

No bitterness, just sadness about what could have been.  Alongside Positivity (most days!), and strength about the future.

Here’s my song for today – what’s yours?

“In the end, only 3 things matter –

How much you loved, how gracefully you lived, and how gently you let go of things not meant for you.”

Buddha.

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Spread a smile,

and enjoy this Valentine’s Day…

What’s not to love?!

Good Friends appreciate their differences, and stick together!