Love Is All Around Us

It is Valentine’s Day so why not talk about love? There are many examples of love that I have been privileged to witness and not just the lovey-dovey kind found in commercials for Valentine’s Day chocolates or Viagra.

Love is going through life knowing you have someone on your side. Even when they drive you crazy sometimes.

Love is sitting by a friend’s side in spirit, through text, phone and email while her husband dies after putting up a valiant fight to live.

Love is another friend (GJ) finding creative ways to boost the spirit of our friend, Kathy, as she maintained a vigil as her husband passed after a brutal fight against Lewy Body Dementia. Then seeing that creativity take off in social media with a ritual of #coffeewithacaregiver.

Love is the persistent cat who thinks you should be petting him instead of pounding on the keyboard. And will lie down on the keyboard to prove his point.

Love is the outpouring of concern and worry over a social media friend who was in a very bad space. His friends and family were alerted and he was able to get the help that he needed in time. The kindness of “strangers” was such an example of pure love that it sticks with me to this day, several years after this happened. Those online connections cannot be dismissed.

Love is not only a gift of flowers and chocolates but the willingness to do the day to day care of a loved one.

Love is coffee dates, shopping and belly laughs with my daughter.

Love is a romantic proposal in the snow and puppy kisses to boot.

Love knows Other Brother is a phone call or text away and that he will answer every single time.

Love is a son who takes his mom to breakfast regularly and sees it as a blessing and not a chore.

Love is sisters being silly together – sometimes at a time others would consider inappropriate but we consider hilarious.


Love is seeing a son grow from a young man enjoying his party years to a young man with a passion for helping those in the military with depression.

Love is seeing Robert have a seizure and mid-seizure determinedly try to tell me he is NOT having a seizure. His speech was incoherent but his message was loud and clear in his eyes: epilepsy, this seizure, will not win!

Love is waking up to two big dogs, hogging the covers and the bed and not wanting to change a thing.

Love is being tired and exhausted but not wanting to be anywhere else. (Except the ocean; not going to lie.)

Love is sharing a closet 50/50 but letting it get to 75/25 without grumbling.

Love is sitting bedside with each parent as they pass from this life to their next. It is not easy to do but easing their transition was the most loving act I could do for them and them for me.

Love can be quiet, loud, in person, online, during happy times or difficult ones, while being silly or serious.

No question. Love is all around us.

Embrace every moment of it.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

With love,

Robert’s Sister