Life Through Letters and Keystrokes: and the greatest of these was love...

So I was planning on being a major stooge today. I was refraining from the classic “Happy Valentine’s Day EVERYONE!!!” or “Love is a many splendid thing! Love lifts us up where we belong!” as my facebook statuses or mass texts. (if you know me this last quote rings major bells J However, when my little brother climbed into my lap 10 minutes ago (yes I’m aware 11 pm is far too late for a five year old to be up) and told me that’d he would love me forever, and I was his princess, my heart melted a bit. You see I am in love with love. I always have been. I spent a long time hiding this part of me from someone who made me feel as though this made me weak. Anyway, I decided long ago that I’d always be true to myself from there on out. So I am, and I love love.

Many people don’t even know what Valentine’s Day really is or where it began.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men, his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France. Okay that’s my history lesson for the day. Don’t say I never taught you anything!

So, my boyfriend lives about a million miles from me. (Not literally but I am quite the drama queen). I have always said I hate Valentines Day and refuse to celebrate, but I won’t lie, last year when Jesse walked into my basketball game with a HUGE boquet of roses (even though I actually am not a fan of roses) I felt really special. Maybe because I loved showing off how wonderful we looked from the outside. Maybe because he never did anything romantic otherwise. Maybe because he bought me a massage and I freaking love them. Who knows. But I love being swept of my feet. I love romance. I love love. So when I spent my Valentine’s Day with my mom, grandma, brother and sister I was a bit bummed. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family and am so grateful to have had some time with them over the last few days. But still…I was a bit bummed.

Anyway as I was catching up on my blog reading a friend of mine posted something that really made me feel lame for being upset today.

“But there also has to be more than that. A man should court his wife every day. He should give her devoted attention and he should flirt w ith her and woo her just like he would if he was still trying to spark up a relationship with her. He should do things on a weekly or biweekly basis, like write her love notes and/or leave a flower on his pillow if he leaves before her in the morning. It should be a constant. Romance is so absolutely and completely necessary in a relationship. Such simple things can be done to keep it a live. Maybe Valentine's day has killed the meaning of romance. Romance doesn't have to be a gr and gesture. It doesn't have to be running through a town in Italy to stop her from marrying someone else. It certainly doesn't have to be thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. That is not what it needs or has to be. Its small things. Small continual moments, running after her out the door to give her just one last kiss, surprising her with a cup of coffee and the book she's obsessed with on a Saturday morning. It's running her a bath at the end of a rough day. Such simple, non-monetary expressions of love that w ill keep her eyes only on you.”

She is dead on. All the things I want, everything I’m searching for in a lifetime partner, I don’t want that all on one day out of the year. I want to feel special every day. Or at least every other day. Okay maybe once a week? Anyway, I want someone to continuously think about tiny things that make me happy. They don’t have to be grand gestures. Tiny things are much better. And as I felt silly for wanting someone to sweep me off my feet I read this excerpt from her blog again and though how easy it’d be. Romance is simple. It’s thinking of these small things to bring a smile to someone’s face day in and day out. And that’s what I want more than anything. That’s what would sweep me of my feet. (Don’t get me wrong, my boyfriend is fantastic. He is so sweet and caring, I’m not complaining at all)

So there’s my too long rant about love and all things related. I believe in romance and the great fairytale. I just think the movies/books get it wrong. It isn’t always magic. It sucks sometimes. It’s usually hard and sometimes very sad. But there are so many little moments that, when you add them all up, make you happier than you could have ever imagined. And as long as the good times cancel out the bad, I’d say you’ve come out on top.

I’ll leave ya with some pictures of my adorable brother. He loves photobooth and asked if I’d take these and “show people”