olive bread heart, Berkeley, CA, Canon PowerShot S95
Not being the hearts and flowers type, I’ve never been very sentimental about Valentine’s Day. That said, I found myself making Valentimes with Ben this morning at the kitchen table. (I love that he calls it Valentimes; makes so much more sense.) We made one for a friend that was a colorful heart-shaped window. When she came to the door this morning, he put his face inside the window and shouted, HAPPY VALENTIMES! and if that didn’t make her day, I don’t know what would. So I’m a convert.
And it proves that giving away our love is as satisfying as receiving it. Or maybe more…
This can be a hard day for some of us, questioning if the kind of love we have in our lives is good enough, or falling short, or if there is something wrong with us that we don’t have some Hollywood kind of love (or romantic love at all). I like the idea of turning it around and asking ourselves instead: who do we love? and are we loving well? and celebrating that.
I have a friend who insists that when she finds a dime on the ground, she is getting a message from the universe: that everything is going to be okay, that she is on the right path, that she is loved and held in something divine. (She finds dimes ALL THE TIME.) I feel the same way when I see the number 2:52 show up on the clock. It’s a signal to me that all is well.
Same goes for finding a heart in an unlikely place. (Like this piece of olive bread the other day.) Look for a heart today and in the coming weeks. Maybe it will be in your cereal, or in a smoosh of gum on the sidewalk. Maybe it will be on the side of a fire hydrant or a heart shaped rock at the water’s edge. Then share it with me here. I want to see it.
Happy Valentimes Day! I hope you know that you are loved.
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We are big heart finders — and lately “happy face” finders. Whenever I find a heart I think of it as a reminder that the universe has my back. They’re everywhere! My daughter has been the top heart-finder since her toddler days. A couple years ago she was bummed because she didn’t have trophies like her older brother, so I went online and ordered her a decent-sized trophy. Then we had a surprise award ceremony and presented her with the “World’s Greatest Heart Finder” award. Thanks for prompting me to think about this today — Happy Valemtimes to you!
OH Wow I am 2:52 too! Born at 2:52, lived at 252 three times, thats amazing! Happy Valentimes!
You have such a way of saying what I need to hear when I need to hear it. I feeling sad this morning, questioning the love in my life (good enough? romantic enough? enough at all?) Later on, I found myself thinking that the way to overcome that for right now was to show some love, to myself and my family, so right now I’m cooking us a wonderful dinner. Coming here and reading your words about giving away love feels like such a perfect echo! Thank you for helping me continue to turn my day around. Happy Valentimes!
I was driving up the street yesterday (which was Valentine’s day here in New Zealand) and looked up at the sky. One section was completely covered in cloud, except for a blue bit in the centre which made up a (very malformed, but still distinct) heart shape.
I looked to the other side of the sky and could make out at least three other heart-shaped clouds.
Ok, universe, I get it.
Thank you. I am loving well. Sometimes. I never even stopped to check in on me…Smooches. Happy Valentimes!
Today at the zoo we saw two black swans, facing each other, dipping their heads in & out of the water. They kept making a heart shape while they were working in tandem. I took a mental picture, and a note. Love appears when we work together.
Well said.
loving you 🙂
qFFoRLJ
wvWTPrkW
I just came across this lovely example of hearts in nature:
http://www.sayyestohoboken.com/2011/02/san-francisco-in-shape-of-heart.html
it was a terrific Valentine day for me…hope it was nt for you 😉
I love hearts and definitely look for them. I have never found a dime in my life, but now I’m gonna put that out to the universe and see if I can start finding them.
You know the superstition about only picking up a penny if it is heads up? Well whenever I see a penny tails up I flip it over so that the next person can pick it up and have good luck! 🙂 I have also been known to drop pennies to be found by others…