Celebrating Valentine’s Day Week, Loretto Style!

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”

While perhaps meant for one individual, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem, “How Do I Love Thee (Sonnet 43),” can be rich in meaning for all, especially this week with the celebration of Valentine’s Day.

In our world today, surely we realize if there was ever a year to celebrate Feb. 14, this is the year. So what are some of the ways we count? They may differ from Browning but are nonetheless important. From the youngest to the oldest among us we celebrate this day in so many ways …

• Perhaps we express our affection in simple ways, such as with blooming flowers and mouth-watering chocolates, homemade cards from children to parents; 
• Perhaps we send “snail mail” and virtual mail to friends with whom we’ve lost contact;
• Perhaps we celebrate new births and gratitude for life;  
• Perhaps we think of loved ones near, far away, living, and not with us. So we remember them with all the love of your heart — the bright and shining memories that make us smile, and sometimes through tears;
• Perhaps we take a stroll in a garden, anticipating new spring growth;
• Perhaps we make a special effort to reach out to all those who work so hard for us — our mail persons, those who check out and bag our groceries, our garbage collectors and so many more too numerous to mention here  — to offer a simple “thank you” for all they do; 
• Perhaps we ….

So let’s keep counting our ways — and we bet maybe even Browning would agree!