The little weed was struggling,

To be the very first.

He broke the crust and reached,

The sun then quenched his thirst.

He knew in time that others,

Would join him on his quest.

To greet the spring with honour ,

Then his goal was blessed.

He also knew that life,

Was shortened for his kind.

All the joy that he could bring,

The humans would decline.

But for a moment he was here,

The sun had touched his heart.

All the bliss he had inside,

At last he could impart.

This poem was inspired by Lucy and Twiggy over at johnwhowell.com

Good friends become family. Great friend become a piece of your heart.

Valentine’s Day

I always hoped I could sneak by this holiday with nobody noticing. Like that is ever going to happen! I believe in true love. I witnessed this. My parents were married for 58 years and they were perhaps the best example I’ve ever seen of a true partnership. They completed each other. They weren’t perfect but in comparison to what I see these days, they were pretty darn close .

I am not a fan of the expectations on a day like today. If you are single, people look at you as if you are odd or to be pitied. And yet I look at couples and I wonder why they’re together.  Some are obviously a good fit but others seemed to feed animosity in each other.  I would rather be single and happy then miserable in a relationship. I have been both.

Artificial Holidays are created by marketing gurus to make money. It works. A great deal of money is spent on Valentine’s Day. People are almost shamed into spending money on things other people don’t really need. And no, I’m not talking about the chocolate. People always need chocolate! But I have been there buying the special outfit for the special dinner on the special day. Money is spent on nails and hair and shoes just so we can be seen as participating on this made-up holiday. If you love someone you should show it every single day. Not with grand gestures or over the top proclamations but with small gestures. Perhaps taking out the garbage before you’re asked or bringing home a single flower for absolutely no reason at all.

According to Wikipedia:

The Feast of Saint Valentine was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that date in AD 269.

He was a clergyman who believed in love and compassion and doing what he could for others. That is something to be celebrated every day. But society does love its extravagances. And so, we have Valentine’s Day. I wonder if anybody remembers St Valentine who was martyred for giving care to persecuted Christians?

Over time, holidays change. What used to be a simple declaration of love from one to another now requires a spectacle. It’s as if we try desperately to outdo each other in how big our declaration can be. And the winners in all of this? The stores. That is my problem with Valentine’s Day. And it is my problem.  If it pleases you then by all means enjoy everything Valentine’s Day has to offer. And may love grow everywhere.