Dear Olivia,
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Starting this letter to you was difficult because I have struggled with this holiday. I felt it was fake, felt it was silly, felt it was forced. But as I watch you grow, watch you take in the world through your sweet, kind, goofy eyes, I want to redefine Valentine’s Day in our household.
I want to make it a day of pure love.
Not just love for a signifiant other, but a day of love and celebration for everyone in your life. The friends you have, the family that surrounds you, the pets that love you unconditionally. The world can be challenging, it can knock you down, but I want you to remember today…. that you are surrounded by people who love you. And I want you to love them in return. I want to make, this day in your life, a day of pure love.
I want to make Valentine’s Day a day where we all remember to love the strangers that you share the planet with. A day where you hold the door for someone, give someone a compliment, maybe buy someone’s coffee. A day where we find a reason to be kind, to connect, to give happiness without restraint. I want to make, this day in your life, a day of pure love.
I want to make Valentine’s Day a day of love for yourself. A day where you remember who you are. How talented you are, how kind you are, how incredible every inch of you is. I want you to take this day, to love yourself, deeply, fully and without judgement. I want to make, this day in your life, a day of pure love.
I know you may hear that the idea of Valentine’s Day is about romance, about heart-shaped candy and roses…. but I want you to remember that this day is about so much more than that. I want you have romance everyday. I want you to romance life – go for the things you want to do, the places you want to see, the person you want to become. And when you do finally fall in love, don’t wait for just one day of the year to celebrate love. Celebrate it everyday. In all of the little ways. Life is too short not to.
Being your Mom is the greatest honor I have ever had in my life. You are such a special human and I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I want to make this day (and everyday) in your life, a day of pure love.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Bubs.
Love, Mama
Mini-Me Look