Love is a many splendid thing...

image by weheartit.com

I'm not totally enthralled by valentines day.  In fact, I hate it.  I resent the fact that it is boxed into romantic love.  I love, love, but wish the occasion was used to celebrate all kinds of love.

We all have many different loves.  There is of course Eros Love - the intimate kind of love that results in sensual, passionate love.  Too bad if come Valentines Day you are not engaged in this kind of love.  Please look the other way while paired up people fill the restaurants and movie theatres on February 14th with their eyes and mouths locked on each other.  What about agape, philia or storge types of love?  Are these not worth celebrating too?

I love how in the movie Love Actually they showcase a little of these types of love.  Think about Laura Linney's character; Sarah who defers her own wants and needs for the sake of her sick brother.  That is sacrificial and great love.  That is the kind of love I want celebrate.  Then how about friendship love?  Think Billy Mac & Joe.  The kind of friendship that sticks with you and sees you through thick and thin...celebrates your triumphs and holds you close through heartbreaks and failures? 

There are so many more examples of love other than eros I could give...such as the love and affection a parent feels for their child, or the close bond that goes beyond friendship between siblings.

What about the love for something that isn't flesh or blood?  A moment in time? A place?  A song?

There is a place for me that I am bound to with much love and affection.   It is somewhere that holds amazing memories.  Breathtaking scenery, dear friendships, special moments, growth and understanding, even the welcome of a new addition to our family.  Physically speaking I can return there, but emotionally speaking I will never be able to return to that place with those moments.  That love....that is held in my heart forever.  Even though it hurt to leave and say goodbye I would live that love again over and over and over!  Now that is true love!

So, what love are you celebrating this Valentines Day?