Single or not, it's a good day

The line for Godiva Chocolate at Union Station today was long. And by long, I mean from one end of the lobby to the other. The lobby, you should know, is almost as wide as a football field and at least as long.

There have been a lot of anti-Valentine's Day celebrations today -- a radio station in upstate New York offered a contest to win a free divorce today, among others. Some people hate this holiday, because they're unattached romatically, and therefore think they are completely alone.

I'm not going to complain about it being a "Hallmark Holiday," because it's not. It's the feast of Saint Valentine, thank you very much, and whether you believe in sainthood or not, the fact is that there was once a Roman guy named Valentine who died because he refused to renounce his Christian faith, and because his love --- his LOVE --- for God was too great. Shake a stick at that.

I'm also not going to complain about being single, because I'm not. Sure, I'm not in a relationship, but every day I'm surrounded by people who care about me, whether they're here in Washington with me or back at home in Wyandotte and East Lansing, or vacationing on the Georgia Coast (hi, Mom and Dad...). To think any of us walks through this life alone is absurd. Even the most destitute have someone who says a prayer for them.

Valentine's Day is about inside jokes, and smiles shared among friends, and laughter. It's about a hug on a bad day, or a hug on a good day, a phone call in the wee hours of the morning just because, a drink bought over good conversation, a pat on the back, a silent prayer said without anyone knowing, and the idea that maybe, just maybe, there's a world out there that we all can make a little bit better together.

This is about people you see every day but don't know. This is about giving part of your life to other people, not just one other person, although that's OK, too. This is about being gentle with the earth and kind to other people.

There's a whole group of people out there with whom I am quite madly in love, and no card or box of chocolates will ever be able to say so.