February 14th is widely recognized as the day when we express our feelings of love to our beloved. The sending of Valentines began long ago when the tradition of courtly love flourished. Today, Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular and celebrated holidays; it is a holiday of love—a day when we hope to feel that extra special love from someone special. This feeling of wanting to be loved and wanting to love is most natural; it comes from deep within us. Love is the basis of our being; it is an expression of the soul. When we express and receive love, we nourish our souls.

There is something inside of us that lets us know—we need love. And so we look to find our perfect partner, our soul mate—our “Valentine”—someone to share love with. We have this sense that there is someone out there for us. We hope to find “Mr. (Mrs.) Right”, someone who will love us—completely and unconditionally. Unconditional love is the purest expression of the soul. To love one another [unconditionally] on a deep soul level is the greatest gift; it is the foundation of true happiness. Because we have an intrinsic connection to one another, we will always seek out relationships… “No man is an island”… We seek true love for this is what gives us the greatest joy. We look for that long, lasting romance. We hope to find the “right” person—and this we can do. We first need to love our-selves. We need to care for ourselves in every way— body, mind, and spirit. We need to nourish our bodies, heal our minds, and connect to who we are deep inside. As we connect to our true inner selves, we become whole again. When we are whole, we can love with our whole hearts and experience that long, lasting love. When we know who we are, we can find that special someone—someone who complements us, who shares a common vision; someone who loves us for who we are, and who brings out the best in us. When we are with that special someone, we will want to show our love every day of the year–and every day will feel like Valentine’s Day.

Love: it’s what we need more of…it enriches our lives and heals our world.