Somebody Loves You

I never celebrated Valentine's Day as a kid because we were told it was pagan. I always wanted to decorate a bag with red and pink tissue paper and write out superhero or Scoobydoo valentines to my whole class. instead, I would arrive to school empty-handed but the other students would feel sorry for me and would still make me valentines. The teacher would hang a plain brown lunchbag for me that would get filled to the brim. I felt guilty that they all gave me valentines when I gave them nothing but it was so fun to look through them all and see everyone's names, read the cards, and eat the candy. In second grade Timmy gave me a big, wrapped red plastic heart filled with M&Ms and I can still to this day remember how special and pretty that made me feel. One of my kids' and my favorite books is "Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch". Just the best story of someone becoming a better person because they know they are loved. If you're alone today (I'm with ya) let's not feel unspecial or unpretty -- or even if you're with the one you adore and being showered with love-- let's go to Walgreens and buy a red plastic heart filled with M&Ms and maybe give it to someone who wouldn't normally get a valentine, to make them feel special, and enjoy the joy that loving others as ourselves really brings.