Guest Blogger Post Stephanie : A Valentine's Letter From Me

Well, so here it is upon us…another Valentine’s Day approaching. Isn’t it a glorious time for all! Not so much.

I am not the hugest fan of Valentine’s Day and all the hoopla that it brings, because I am aware of the sadness and stress that it can bring to others.

For many years, I did not have a Valentine of any kind. It was horrible in high school, because Valentine’s Day is a monumental ordeal. People bring friends and boyfriends or girlfriends all kinds of Valentine treats and if you have very few friends or you have no one you are dating, you are made to feel like such a schmo ! High school, to me, appeared to be about many things, but learning didn’t seem to be high on the agenda. Friends, pep rallies, football games and dances seemed to only be speckled here and there with actual learning. I felt like it was a waste of time and it was very boring.

The additional punishment of having to live through Valentine’s Day as a teenager, I could only combat with thoughts of “…one day, I will have someone who loves me.”Ugh. I especially remember being 17, and standing outside on my driveway, looking up at the stars in the sky and wondering where my future husband and valentine was at that moment. I decided that he had dark hair, and was probably five or six years older than me, which would have made him 23 at that time.

My husband, (the one I have now) was always meant to be my valentine, my heart, mi. Everything before him was a waste of time and energy. He is handful. He is a mess. He is anything but perfect, oh my goodness, but we are in love. This means, we love each other equally. The baby pink roses above are from him, and every time he gets me flowers I think of all the years that I received none. I absolutely adore flowers and appreciate the gesture.

We laughed so hard when I told him about the 17 year old me, standing outside, looking up at the stars and wondering where my true love was at that moment. We did some math, and decided he was 23 and running the streets like a dirty dog at that time! My point is that it wasn’t time.

I say all of this to show that I have been on both sides of the Valentine’s Day “fence” and I know how it feels to think that everyone else except you has love, attention, and is desired and wanted.

Those years as a teen, my mom was a very special mom. She went out of her way to prepare huge surprises and treats for me on Valentine’s Day. Looking back, she was preparing for me to come home from school, empty handed while my brother would be showered with gifts and cards from many girls.

What she taught me though, is that a Valentine can be anyone. It’s just someone who cares for you. My Jazzy and my Bella are my Valentines. My dad and my brother are my Valentines. I believe that giving is better than receiving anyway, so we should all think someone who is alone this year, and make them a special Valentine. Taking the focus off of yourself and instead focusing on making another person happy, really works. If you are alone, remember, this just isn’t your time. It’s time to be alone and focus on yourself.

Another important point to remember is all that glitters is not gold! When you look around, you may see a lot of relationships. How many of them are healthy and functional? That is the question. One day, years ago, I received flowers at work for no occasion at all from the person I was with at the time. One of my assistants started crying and stormed out of the room. Later, she apologized and said she didn’t feel respected by her mate and was jealous of the flowers. That is when I became even more aware of other’s feelings and sensitive to the fact that one should be humble with others feelings.

I have a friend that always stays with the wrong person, because in her mind, it’s better than no person. I feel like it’s better to have nothing at all than to have nothing but trash. She spent years dating two different con artists, habitual liar types. I initially wanted to do a typical post on how fabulous my Valentine’s Day was going to be and I still may do a post on what I do each Valentine’s as far as treats and gifts may go, but I really wanted to extend warm wishes and loving thoughts to those of you who may feel alone in the cold cruel world without love! You do have love. You have the ability to give love and share time with others around you. A Valentine doesn’t have to be a hot and heavy romance! It can be your mom or dad, child or sibling, friend or aunt or uncle!

So be a Valentine this year for someone else because your day is coming!

Stephanie Dawn Sjoberg : Luxor Living and Style
Stephanie has worked in fashion and cosmetics for years and currently is self employed with Luxor Leasing & Real estate as an Apartment Locator in Texas. With experience in fashion , cosmetics and marketing…she decided to start her own blog, Luxor Living and Style due to her love for fashion, décor, gardening, beauty, photography and FOOD as well as an opportunity for new apartment seekers to get to know her!