Valentine's Day - what it means to me.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching it can be hard to ignore the signs everywhere, from love inspired gifts and cards adorning shops to talk of Valentines on social media, hinting at the impending day of romance when love is in the air.

For some people the day can be one they dread, some people are passionately anti-valentines, others enjoy a Galentine night in with the girls, whilst many loved up couples enjoy the day to its fullest by sharing gifts with their loved ones and having romantic time together.

Having experienced the dread of valentines whilst single as well as having enjoyed the excitement of the love-filled day when in the first sparks of a relationship, I have experienced both sides to the day – the tear-filled, single and lonely side of dread and the romantic, loved-up side.

Now that I am in a relationship I thankfully no longer experience the feeling of being single and lonely on Valentine’s Day when it feels as if the whole world around you is loved-up. But whilst I have enjoyed special and romantic Valentine’s days with Lee after years together and a child the day for us has changed from a day of being in a romantic bubble together, going out to celebrate the day and giving each other trinkets of love and Valentine’s cards to a day where we simply appreciate each and are thankfully that we have each other.

Whilst we do not specifically make a huge effort on Valentine’s Day by celebrating the day in a traditional, commercialised way by swapping gifts or going for a special night out, we do use the day as the perfect reason to make an effort to spend some quality time together and reflect on our relationship.  

We have been together for a little over five years now. Over the years we have been through a lot together, there have been many good times as well as many hard times. But together, working hard as a team, we have come through it all stronger and much more in love.

Lee is my everything. He is always there for me, my strong and caring rock. He is my best friend. He is my lover. He is my future. He completes me. He I my true love.

Even though we try to have quality time together as often as we can, for us Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to make the effort to slow down a little from the hectic-ness of family life and spend some quality time together. Instead of spending the night catching up with chores, working, going to bed early to sleep out of pure exhaustion thanks to our busy days or being in our little bubbles apart, on Valentine’s Day we make the effort to spend time together snuggled up on the sofa on a night when Bug is sleeping soundly in bed.

We reflect on our relationship and our lives together.

We reminisce about the happy times we have had together.

We remember the hard times and strife we have overcome which has made us stronger as a couple.

We look forward to the future, talking about our hopes and dreams as a couple and as a family.

For me, Valentine’s Day is not only a day when I am thankful for the blossoming love and relationship I have with Lee, it is also a time when I think about all of my relationships, past and present with loved ones.

On Valentine’s Day I think about the special people in my life, the loved ones who touch my life with love and care.

My Mum

My mum has always been there for me. She has shown me devoted love, care and support. She gave me an amazing childhood filled with fun and unforgettable memories. Not only is she my mum she is also my friend. Without my mum I would not have managed to get through the dark periods of my life, she was and is my shining light - helping, supporting and loving me. Not only is my mum an amazing mum and friend, she is also the best Mamgu (grandmother) to Bug that I could have ever wished for.

My Sister

Like my mum she has always been there for, showing her love, care and support. She is an amazing sister and a true friend. Not only does she mean the world to me for being a fantastic sister but she is also a brilliant sister-in-law (to-be) to Lee and a fun and loving Auntie Boo to Bug. My sister has also been a fun-loving, support to me over the years on pre-Lee, lonely Valentine’s Days.

Bug

Words cannot even begin to describe what Bug mean to me and how much I love him. He is a blessing. He made me complete. I cherish every moment with him and love watching him grow (even though he is growing up way too quickly for my liking!).

My Mamgu and Dadcu (grandparents)

Sadly my Mamgu is now longer with us. She meant the World to me and the day she died a huge gap in my life appeared. I was very close to my Mamgu and miss her dearly. It is on days such as Valentine’s Day that my thoughts turn to her, thinking about the precious memories I have of her and how I wish dearly that she was still with us to see my family.

Thankfully my Dadcu is still with us and is an important and loving part of our lives. He was an integral part of my childhood, in a way being the dad I never knew or had. Today he is a brilliant Hen-Dadcu (great-granddad) to Bug.

I also think about other loved ones such as close friends who have touched my life. On Valentine’s Day I also find myself reflecting on the relationships of my past because even though they might not have ended well, the relationships I had before Lee helped shaped who I am today and lead me to a life where I met Lee and started our family together.

So this Valentine’s Day I will be spending quality time with my true love and reflecting on the love and relationships that have touched my life.

What will you be doing this Valentine’s Day?

Who will you be thinking about?

* This post is in collaboration with TheCircle *