Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day!

One child in a wheelchair, and another child who is standing, hold hands.  They are both wearing pink hearts in celebration of Valentine's Day.

This may come as no surprise to you, but I love love.  Not gooey, mushy, romantic love… well, okay, gooey, mushy, romantic love, yes, but for the sake of this message I am talking about all kinds of love: the love that drives people to pay for the car behind them in the drive-thru, the love that spurs others to send random TikToks at 2 AM, the love that inspires some to volunteer whenever disaster strikes, the love that pulls on our heart strings every time our children meet another milestone, the love that seeds deep gratitude for those who ‘show up,’ and the love that shines brightly in all who are brave enough to declare “this is me!”

The Ancient Greeks identified 7 types of love: Eros (passionate love); Philia (friendship); Storge (familial love);  Agape (universal love); Ludus (play / uncommitted love); Pragma (practical love); and Philautia (self-love).  Which are you celebrating today?