When I cheerfully wished a friend Happy Valentine’s Day, her response surprised me. She moaned, “Ha! Maybe it’s a Happy Valentine’s Day for you, but I have no one to love”.
Her response set me thinking. Is it possible to have no one to love? It is true that with aging comes the loss of loved ones, often a change in where we live and our activities. These can bring the feelings of loneliness and even abandonment, leading to depression. It may seem to us that we have no one to love, but is it really possible to have no one to love?
If this is true, then how can we change the situation? How can we find others to care for and love? In my book, AgeEsteem, the chapter on The Power of Purpose opens with this personal quote: “Having a purpose enables us to step outside of our own needs and problems, to focus on new opportunities and to renew our energy as we take action”. Scientific research and my own personal experience shows that to have that sense of belonging, of being loved and loving others, we must have a purpose in our lives, a reason to get up in the morning and to look forward to the day.
The trick is to reach out to others. Find a volunteer activity where you can benefit others with your talents and personality. Do you like children and have energy to care for them? Why not help a neighbor with her little ones once or twice a week? Many children are begging for help with their homework. Youth are in need of older mentors to guide them. Join a team to fold flyers or decorate for a party. Read to the blind. Opportunities are countless once you begin to look into volunteering.
Nothing is more fulfilling than to think that you have benefited the life of another. Seek your immediate purpose. Forget about yourself for a minute and reach out to others. Richard Branson, multi-billionaire, says that what gets him up in the morning is the idea of being able to make a difference. Doris Blunt, a retired school teacher, would get up with a smile each morning because she was the “sunshine” of the home she lived in. We each have a purpose. Find yours, and you will also find someone to love.
Bonnie Fatio
Happy Valentines Day!
May each day of your year overflow with love and age-esteem,
Bonnie Fatio
Valentine, I Love You!
Valentine’s Day is coming up,
Get out your porcelain loving cup,
And plan to kiss the ones you love,
(While thanking all the stars above).
All the love poems have been written,
Every heart already smitten:
Loving words have all been said,
Roses still remain as Red;
Still, it’s nice to hear anew:
“Valentine, I do love You!
Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem
MAY EACH DAY OF YOUR YEAR BE FILLED WITH LOVE!
Celebrate Love!
What an ideal time to celebrate love! – Valentine’s Day.
Love is at the basis of all that is good. It is the foundation of peace and understanding. It is the fuel of making this world a better place for each of us.
Love is the force that gives Age Esteem its pizzazz.
We all strive to love and be loved at every age. The need for love is a continuum through life. Love may take on different dimensions as we experience different stages of life, but it remains a constant.
As we look towards this day of love, Valentine’s Day, let’s celebrate love. – Love of self, love of family, love of friends, love of those who we do not yet know and yes, even love for our enemies.
- Allow your heart to overflow with thoughts of love.
- Look for indications of love around you.
- Remember the precious moments in your life when you have had so much love in your heart that it bubbled over.
Celebrate love!
Bonnie Fatio
People of all ages enjoy receiving Valentines. In order of popularity, Valentine’s Day cards are given to teachers, children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.
In Medieval times people who couldn’t write their names, signed with an X in front of a witness. The person then kissed the X to show they were sincere. This is why many think that the X has been associated with the kiss when people write X and O for kisses and hugs.
The city of Verona, Italy, which is where Shakespear’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives 1000 letters addressed to Juliet each Valentine’s Day. This inspired the movie, Letters to Juliet.
The oldest existing love poem is written on a clay tablet and dates from the time of the Sumarians who invented writing around 3500 B.C.
Candies were among the earliest Valentine gifts, the most common being chocolates in heart-shaped boxes. More than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold this year.
About 3% of pet owners will give a Valentine’s Day gift to their pet.
Sharing love enhances our age-esteem.
A tradition I have tried to keep over the years is to personally create the Valentine’s cards I send. They usually are collages with hearts, feathers and papers of varying textures. Each is a unique labor of love. I send them through the post in an old fashioned handwritten, stamped envelope.
A year ago I declared a Valentine’s Day each week. Once a year seems much too limiting for this positive expression of caring.
I caught this idea from Shirley Pollock who made it her job to send a note to someone each day. Sometimes it was a thank you. Other times she simply said she was thinking about you or hoped you were feeling better. She expressed praise for something you had done or reminded you of one of your qualities that she admired. Her notes were treasured by those who received them. She made every day a Valentine’s Day!
My original goal was to send at least one special note each week. Over past months this has grown. I now write several cards each week to let others know how special they are to me. I find is that focusing on relationships in this way makes positives excel and negatives disappear.
Why not make every day a Valentine’s Day and fill your heart with love?
What a wonderful invention Valentine’s Day is!
It nudges us with encouragement to express love. On the 14th of February we step out of our regular routine to remind friends and family that we love them. They are important to us.
Lacy cards with poems, bouquets of red roses, candies that say Be My Valentine, and heart shaped boxes filled with chocolates are just some of the ways we express our feelings to tell people they’re special.
Letting others know that you are thinking of them and that you care is healthy for your AgeEsteem. You focus on
- People who you love of all ages
- The blessings of friends and family
- Reaching out to others
- Renewing and strengthening contacts
- Creating or finding the right message
- Celebrating happiness
