Blog: That Wonderful Thing Called Love

There is a scene from the Disney movie, Bambi, that comes to mind whenever I see the yearly Valentine displays appear in the stores.  It's the part where Thumper becomes "twitterpated" over the flirtations of a cute little girl rabbit. 

February is the month we turn our thoughts to love, relationships, and that wonderful feeling of joy that causes a person to smile uncontrollably.

Valentine’s Day has not changed much since I was a little girl. I remember making the same woven placemats out of long strips of pink and red paper as my grandchildren still do today.

In preparation for our class party, we also made mailboxes constructed from milk cartons, with instruction to bring a signed Valentine for every student — no matter how we felt about that person.

On Valentine's Day, the boys would roll their eyes and the girls would giggle as cards were placed in each other's mailbox. Everyone compared Valentines to see whose had been signed with the word love written above the sender’s name.

I became twitterpated big time near the end of my senior year in high school.  

He was a college student home on spring break when we first noticed each other from across the church hall. I instantly became the flirtatious little girl rabbit and he fell right into Thumper mode. We were married a few months later and hopped off through the clover field together, intent on living happily ever after. 

Yet, sometimes happily ever afters don't go as planned; forest fires and fierce hunters can creep in unexpectedly and take our loved ones from us. Bambi lost his mother, and after thirty years together, I lost my Thumper. Still, I take comfort in knowing that true love has no end, and happily ever after is eternal.

Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love.  It is also a time to recognize and show gratitude for those relationships we so often take for granted. 

So girls, get ready to bat those eyelashes, and boys, prepare to be twitterpated, and everyone else — hug your loved ones and appreciate all the joy that life has to offer.