Valentine’s Day came and went this week and frankly I’m glad it is over. Society puts so much pressure on everyone to have a successful relationship and a perfect life. A day of celebrating love sounds like a great idea but for many it represents stress and disappointment. My friend Karen referred to Valentine’s Day as “falling rock day” after her divorce. My friend Sarah posted of her facebook page “cupid, please try to hit both of us next time”.

In a world where all of us are trying to find and maintain love what do you do when you get the consolation prize? Well, hello people the world is far from a perfect place. Far from it.

First of all  I’d like to point out that St Valentine was a martyred saint who died a terrible death in ancient Rome. Not so romantic. It wasn’t until much later in the time of Chaucer that the holiday was a romantic one celebrated by lovers.

Secondly, non of us have a crystal ball. We may feel like things are hard and life is a lemon today. But tomorrow could bring many beautiful things if our hearts are open and we are willing.

For Valentine’s Day this year I decided to throw my heart into rescuing a few dogs from a local high kill animal shelter. There were 8 dogs total. I networked their photos via email. I made transport arrangements for them. I worked with other volunteers to get them off death row and to rescue organizations. Seeing them all leave the shelter was the best Valentine gift I have ever had.

Perfection.