Hokay, so Valentine's Day is tomorrow. Or if you're one of my guy friends (you know who you are), the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius is tomorrow. However, I don't think too many people in our culture, and especially on my campus, are going to be thinking about Cyril and Methodius (begging their pardon). Like any 18-22-year-olds with functioning hormones, they're going to be thinking about Valentine's Day, and whatever accompanying meaning that has for them.
For me, Valentine's Day has had a shifting meaning depending on the year. When I was little, everyone gave adorable little valentines to everyone else, and we ate candy and had parties, and life was good. Enter hormones: Valentine's Day is suddenly the biggest mass-produced crock in the universe, which only self-serving men and shallow, moronic women put any store in (yes, I was this harsh and mouthy when my hormones kicked in around the 6th grade). Enter prospective boyfriends: Valentine's Day can't possibly be that bad, it's just a cute, if superficial, way for men and women to say I love you and overdo it on the romance. Enter college: Valentine is actually not on the calendar, so this is officially the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. Did you know the Cyrillic alphabet was named after St. Cyril, who composed it? I'm totally not secretly clinging to this so that I can pretend I don't keep wishing for a boyfriend. But this year is different.
This year, I'm going to try to make legitimate peace with Valentine's Day. I have no prospective boyfriend, and I do occasionally wish I wasn't single, but this is not the fault of Hallmark, candy companies, men, or sappy romantic dramas/comedies. Really, it's not anyone's fault, and I'm alright with that. Valentine's Day is cute, and naturally geared toward couples, and so I won't be partaking in many of the time-honored traditions, like candle-lit dinner dates or gift-giving. And that's good, for now. I don't need the accoutrement of love to know it exists, at least not anymore.
I know that as a Catholic woman, I have a unique lover who goes above and beyond for me each and every day of my life. He accepts me for who I am because He made me. He comforts me when I'm sorrowing, and rejoices with me when I'm glad. He is my strength and my song, my light and my salvation, slow to anger and rich in kindness. He is my brother, my father, and my savior. It is He for whom I live my life each day, and I wouldn't change that for a horde of amorous men (I don't know about you, but that's a hilarious mental image for me). God doesn't need to give me a card, a stuffed bear, a dozen flowers, or a box of chocolates to show He loves me. He gave His life for me once, and that is more than enough. When I was younger, the ultimate expression of love was a guy creating a romantic night for me with all of my favorite foods, music, places, etc. Now the ultimate expression of love would be my husband laying down his life for my holiness, a la Ephesians 5:25-27.
I'm not going to use this post to launch into a tirade about everything that's wrong with Valentine's Day and the way our culture celebrates it. That's not to say that there is nothing wrong, but it might sound a little bitter to complain about Valentine's Day the night before as a single woman, and I don't feel particularly bitter at the moment. I will, however, use it to remind anyone reading this blog to raise their standards, because when they do, they tend to improve themselves to be worthy of the person they're looking for. I will also use it to ask anyone who may be stressing about tomorrow to stop. Yes, it's nice to have a beau on Valentine's Day, but it's not necessary. And remember all that stuff I said about God? Yeah, that applies to everybody, guys included.
So tomorrow when I wake up, what will it be? It will of course be Valentine's Day, and the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, and Tuesday, and too early, and too busy, and too cold, and about time I read the Communist Manifesto for my 19th Century Europe class. It'll be all of those things. I'll wear a little pink, do my hair, try to survive Latin, and laugh with my friends. It'll be a good day, I'm sure, and I'll try to make the best of it with the people I love, like I do every day.
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