A couple weeks ago my plan for what to get Nicole for Valentine’s Day fell through.

I had wanted to get the nursery completely finished for her and surprise her when she got home from work. That meant changing out a ceiling fan, replacing all the outlets, and putting together all the crib and dresser we had bought.

It was a big task but I was determined to do it.

When I went to the store to pick up the crib and dresser, I ran into a small problem:

The boxes they came in were gigantic.

My car is not gigantic.

I made some phone calls to see if some friends could help me at least get the crib and dresser to my house. If they could do that, maybe I could still pull it off.

Nope.

They were all busy.

So there I am, the day before Valentine’s Day, trying to figure out what the heck to get my wife for a present because my original plan had fallen through.

So what did I do?

I called my mom.

Duh.

When you’re an adult and you call your mom, you know going into the conversation that it’s not going to be a simple two second conversation. You’re going to get updated on the family, go on a million rabbit trails, forget why you called, and then finally – 30 minutes later – get the answer you were looking for.

In the midst of one of those rabbit trails, my mom and I started talking about Valentine’s Day in general. I mentioned how Valentine’s Day wasn’t a big deal in our house growing up because it wasn’t a big deal to her and my dad. In that moment, my mom said something that’s stuck with me since that conversation:

If you don’t love me the other 364 days of the year you don’t deserve to love me that one day.

That statement was profound.

In 2014, 54% of Americans celebrated Valentine’s Day with a loved one. That 54% spent, on average, nearly $134 on the spouse/loved one for a total of $17.3 billion.

In America.

On one day.

To show someone they loved them.

$17.3 billion.

With a b.

I wonder what it would look like if we took a random day of the week and showed people we loved them just because.

What if we chose one of the random 364 days of the year not named Valentine’s Day and celebrated our spouse, best friend, or mom?

You don’t have to spend $134 to show someone you love them. In fact, you don’t even have to spend a dollar. You can:

  • text them
  • call them
  • Facetime them
  • write them a note
  • do something for them
  • pray for them
  • give them a hug
  • help them around the house
  • help them run errands
  • sit on the couch next to them
  • or one of a hundred other things.

It’s not hard to show someone you love them.

Today – yes, today – think of someone who might need to be encouraged or could use some love and then actually do something about it. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant – just a simple action to let them know you love them.

If we loved each other during the other 364 days as well as we do on Valentine’s Day, our world would be a completely different place.

And that’d be a good thing.

Say your prayers and take your vitamins.

Have a nice day.

-Jonathan