Valentine's Day will never quite have the same meaning to me that it once had. It used to be about cards and flowers and having a romantic evening. But that all changed seven years ago when our family lost my cousin Matthew at the young age of 24.
He was the kind of person that everyone loved - not because he was a saint or anything, but because he truly lived life to the fullest. He was fun to be around - a total charmer. He always found a way to make something boring into something fun.
Seven years ago after an evening of having perhaps too much "fun," he fell down a flight of stairs and suffered a traumatic brain injury resulting in the loss of his life. Our family, and all of his friends suffered a grave loss that Valentine's Day, and there will always be a hole in our hearts because Matthew is no longer here with us.
So for me, Valentine's Day is still about appreciating those that you love that are in your life, but in a deeper and perhaps more serious way than before. I learned that year just how short life can be, and while a busy life ensures that you can't always appreciate every single moment in your life, you can take this one day to ensure that you let those around you know just how special they are to you.
1 comment:
Great message Melissa. You are so right. Not one of us here has a guarantee of the time we have here on Earth. We all have busy, stressful lives...and the most important thing is to take a step back & just be thankful for our time here in this life & to be with the people we love!
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