Can we go through February and ignore the red hearts, pink roses and cellophane-wrapped boxes of chocolate? We can try but the retailers are working hard to get our attention. Did you know that 180 MILLION roses were purchased on Valentine’s Day last year. I know I contributed to that number. For the purpose of this newsletter though, let’s get to the heart of Valentine’s Day- so to speak.
    As I sit down to write this month, I may be cliché for picking “love” for a theme but isn’t love the greatest gift of all? I agree with Zig Ziglar when he said that “love is the highest, purest, most precious of all spiritual things.” Well, I am by no means a relationship expert; however, I am proud to say that I have been happily married for 15 years to the same woman. Daily I try my best to love her and show her my love, but you and I both know that love is not only of the romantic sort- I love my three children, I have friends I love dearly and a dog that gets lots of love from me. I love my neighbors and I love my staff.
    Jesus broke down the “greatest commandment” into two parts: love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. It’s what makes life and relationships in it work.
    I remember years ago reading a little book called LOVE by Leo Buscaglia. He wrote, “Love is open arms. If you close your arms about love, you will find that you are left holding only yourself.”
    I heard a story told once about a little eight year old girl in a Pennsylvania orphanage who was shy, unattractive, and a bit of a problem. She had been shuffled around from institution to institution and the director of her current orphanage was looking for a reason to get rid of her. One day someone noticed the little girl writing a letter. An ironclad rule of the orphanage was that any communication from a child had to be approved before it was mailed. The next day, the director and her assistant watched the girl sneak out of the dormitory and slip down a main gate. Just inside the gate was an old tree with roots exposed above the ground. They followed and watched as the child hid the letter in one of the crevices between the roots. Carefully looking around, the little girl scurried back to the dormitory.
    The director pounced on the note and read what it said. Then, without speaking, she passed the note to her assistant. It read, “To anybody who finds this: I love you.”
    We all possess the power to love unconditionally regardless of our circumstance and past, and only when we experience love can we experience life to the fullest.

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Love is an essential ingredient in success. Without it, your life suffers in emptiness. With it, life vibrates warmth and satisfaction. Search for and generate love, because if you don’t, you’re not living- just breathing.

Today:
Give your attention: Be present in conversations with the loved ones in your life- your spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend, child, best friend, your co-workers. Look them in the eye, notice them, compliment them. Do your best not to rush through moments with them—do not multi-task them. Slow down and listen.

This Week:
Give your time: Set a date with your spouse, your child, a good friend. Set aside time to be together with no agenda. Enjoy each other’s company and remind yourself of what you love about this person. Share that list.
Reflect on what you love by finishing these thoughts:
    The first time I met you...
    I first knew I loved you when...
    My favorite memory with you is...
    My favorite thing about you...
    The thing I’ve always wanted to tell you but never have is...

Remember, “There are only two people who can tell you the truth about yourself -- an enemy who has lost his temper and a friend who loves you dearly.” Antisthenes

This Month:
Give your heart and go out on a limb: Say “I love you” to all those you should say it to in your life. No one has heard “I love you” too much. Don’t miss an opportunity. Choose love first when dealing with all people.

More than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold for Valentine’s Day. (according to the Chocolate Manufacturers Association.)

Thinking of buying some bling-bling? You’re not the only one. Valentine’s Day jewelry sales totaled $2.4 billion dollars in 2005. (according to US Census Bureau)