Love. L-O-V-E. It’s supposed to make the world go ‘round, conquer all and lift us up where we belong. All we need is love, and a million other anecdotes and clichés around February 14th to remind us that loving someone and being loved is still important.

We don’t ever forget those we love (or have loved, no matter how hard we try) but Valentine’s Day has been set aside for us to take a little extra time to tell each other what we feel all year round.

Of course some corporation will also benefit from our love, with all the profits gained during the rush for flowers, candy, hotel rooms and (cross your fingers) expensive gifts. But every holiday has become commercial over the years, and we still remember Jesus on Christmas Day, don’t we?

And what are we really celebrating on Valentine’s Day? Love is such a varied and wide-ranging thing that it cannot possibly be pigeonholed. Love for spouses and significant others doesn’t have to have a monopoly on Valentine’s Day.

We love our parents, siblings, teachers, kids and countless others too, but we may express it to them the least. There is no “Favorite Professor Day,” no “Best Baby-Sitter in the World Day” to celebrate those in our lives that mean more to us than they even realize. Valentine’s Day can be that day.
It may seem sometimes that there is no room for expressions of love. Hectic work schedules, fast-paced lives and all the problems in the world blend together and create a barrier to giving the people in our lives the love and attention they deserve.

One day won’t make up for an entire year, but one day, one moment of honesty and affection between two people can ease some of the pain out of life. It can remind us that our lives mean something. At the very least, one day of putting love on a pedestal can put a smile on the face of someone you care about.

The great thing about Valentine’s Day is, you don’t have to break the bank to show you care. Plenty of people get gushy over personally made cards and quiet dinners at home. There are no rules to Valentine’s Day; it can be whatever you make of it.

Of course there are people out there who will not succumb to lure of love’s special day, but you don’t have to have a sweetheart to have a Valentine’s Day. No shady singles bar either - all you have to do is pick someone, anyone at all, who you love for just being in your life. Romantic or not, Valentine’s Day will take on a special meaning for you and that lucky somebody.

Whatever February 14th has in store for the lovers of the world, constant reminders by well-placed ads cannot take the intentions of the holiday away: Tell that special someone that you love them.