The Day After Valentine's Day: Keep the Vibe Going

My Facebook feed was awash with pictures of friends celebrating Valentine's Day:  relaxed people at restaurants, flowers, chocolates, and other treats.  What a nice change from what often trickles across my Facebook feed:  distress and anger over politics.

What would happen if we kept the Valentine's vibe going?  What if we continued to look for opportunities to shower expressions of emotion onto our loved ones?

What if we widened our circle of loved ones?  We could write notes of encouragement and/or thanks to our political leaders, and let us not forget the local leaders.  We could write similar notes to coworkers and people in our churches and civic groups.  We could write letters or cards to loved ones far away.  We could do the same for those who don't have loved ones who will write to them, like prisoners, refugees, or members of our churches who have outlived their friends and families.

What if we spent a few minutes each day creating a love note to God?  We could begin by saying thank you.  We could make a daily practice of noticing the beauty of creation and saying, "Great job with that flower!"  "Wonderful colors on that bird!"  "That sunrise was the most special one this month!"  If we kept our observations (will we write them?  Take a picture?  Love note by way of paint?), we'd have a wonderful collection that might sustain us in our low moments.

Let us also remember that we need to show ourselves the same level of care.  What does your soul need to feel nourished?  How can you sustain yourself so that you can continue to love the world that can be so hard to love at times?

Let us keep the Valentine's vibe going!