Where does the time go? Somehow, here we are already in March and I wrote this blog post for February—the month filled with reminders to love. Love is unmistakably in the air. The color palette shifts from winter’s blues, browns, and blacks and bursts into pinks, purples, and every shade of red imaginable.

The season of love invites us to reflect on the many forms love has taken in our lives. I still remember elementary school Valentine’s Day—carefully addressing cards, making sure the ones with the extra-special messages found their way to the right person. In many ways, we still do this, just for fewer people. Maybe we no longer pass out paper cards tucked into decorated envelopes, but we show our love through other gestures. So who’s in your orbit on Valentine’s Day?

Who do you choose to send love to? Who do you love?

It’s fascinating when you pause to think about the different love languages we speak, share, and cultivate. Let’s start with self-love. Yes, friends—loving yourself is essential. You are the only you there is or ever will be, so honoring yourself, in all your glory, is where love should begin.

Many of us are fortunate to both love and be loved by family. That family may be the people we’re born into—the ones who shaped us and stood by us through life’s highs and lows. Or it may be our chosen family: the friends who become kin, who fill in the gaps, and who love us fiercely and fully. However we define family doesn’t matter nearly as much as knowing we have a tribe that respects and embraces us for who we truly are.

Some of us are lucky enough to have that one person—the one who sees us in all our perfect imperfection and loves us anyway. Giving and receiving that kind of love isn’t easy, but wow, does it make the world brighter and more interesting. It’s a love I hope everyone experiences, even though I know it’s not everyone’s story. As a romance writer, this connection is a well I return to often—the journey of two people finding each other, learning one another, and growing together. It’s why I write… and probably why I should get back to my next book.

And then there’s the unconditional love of our fur babies—or our human babies.

The joy they bring into our lives often transforms us into better versions of ourselves. The emotional highs and lows can feel endless, but few loves run as deep or as pure. I really didn’t understand that until I lost both my fur babies in February. Their unconditional love for me can’t be replicated in any other relationship. I miss their predictable routines after 14 years and this makes their loss so difficult and heart wrenching. I’d never really knew what that meant until now. I’m lucky to have my wife to cling to as we work through our grief and find our way forward.

I hope you had a great Valentine’s Day, remember: love keeps us together and helps us reach new heights. Love is love—celebrate it, honor it, and rejoice in it.💖

What’s your favorite memory or way to celebrate? I’d love to hear it.