Valentines Day

I was thinking about the artificial holiday dedicated to love a lot yesterday, after all, it was Valentine's Day. I celebrated the day in high school, when I had girlfriends...in the typical, sugary-sweet high school fashion. In college, when I was figuring myself out and NOT dating anyone, as well as being an RA and wanting to offer those that didn't have the typical lovey-dovey date, I used to sponsor Anti-Valentine's Day parties every year. We'd watch a scary movie, have food and then throw darts at a giant billboard covered in valentines day cards. As I grew up, I celebrated fewer and fewer Valentine's Days until they just became another day on the calendar. I celebrated a handful of times as an adult, when I was dating someone at the time. I have one fond memory of Valentine's Day, when I was dating Tony, but the rest are a blur. I know we celebrated, as that's what couple's do. I think I remember the VDay with Tony, only because it was the last time I really celebrated the day - and that was almost 10 years ago.

I'm not really against VDay, but I'm not really for it either. If you're in a relationship, shouldn't you make the person you're with feel special every day? Shouldn't every day be a celebration of your love? Why should you wait for one day to have a big, all out celebration? Anniversaries I get. Birthday's I get. But a special day to take your sweetheart on a date and buy them flowers, I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I don't get it. I look at relationships differently I guess. I want the person I'm with to know that I cherish them everyday - not just VDay. Maybe it's because I'm single. Maybe I'm just warped...

Perhaps it's because, in my family, we have a big celebration on the 15th of February every year. We mark the day that my sister came into our lives. It's not her birthday, there are no presents, although there is cake - strawberry frosting. My sister is adopted, and she was 3 months old on the day that she came into our lives, and every year since, we have had a celebration to mark the occasion. That was always worth celebrating more to me anyway...

Arrival Day

For a long time, Valentine's day hasn't really meant anything to me - whether I've been with someone or not.  It's just another day.  I'm a romantic by nature, I don't need a special day on the calendar to remind me to hold someone's hand and tell them I love them.

For 27 years though, Feb 15th has been a very special day in my family.  It's the day we celebrate my sister entering our lives.  She's my sister, and I regularly forget that she's adopted, but today always reminds me.  Not because we think of her any differently because she's adopted, but because we celebrate how much we wanted her in our lives.  My mom and dad really wanted a little girl.  They got sorta close with me, way off base with my brother, and figured, why take a chance and adopted my sister.

My sister and I have always been really close, and she's taught me so much about inner strength and fortitude, and just having the courage to be yourself.  I love her so much...so today it's about her!  Happy Arrival Day Bean!