The Unexpected Delivery of Love: A Valentine's Day Story of Friendship and Faith
Valentine's Day is my absolute favorite day of the year. There's something magical about seeing white, red, and pink bouquets of flowers being delivered by delivery men in all black with matte helmets and clear face masks, carrying whispers of affection through the city streets. The delivery men, masked and professional, reminded me how love often arrives unexpectedly, carried by unlikely messengers. My friends - those everyday delivery people of life lessons - had been bringing me pieces of understanding about love long before I recognized what was being delivered.
This wasn't always my reality though. As a child, I saw Valentine's Day through rose-tinted glasses - a magical day when cupid's arrows brought together souls from all walks of life. I believed love would find everyone, whether alone or coupled, as if the day itself sprinkled fairy dust over the city.
But years of empty doorsteps taught me a different story. Each Valentine's Day spent single slowly chipped away at that childhood fantasy. I found myself becoming emotionally unavailable, chasing after guys who showed no real interest in me. My heart grew cold, though I never stopped loving Valentine's Day - I just learned to love it in secret. I feared having this beautiful day tainted by heartbreak, so I kept my appreciation hidden like a precious gem I didn't want stolen.
Today, I witnessed the largest bouquet of red roses being delivered to a recipient whose joy radiated through her entire being. That moment reminded me - love is so much more than a feeling; it's a knowing, a truth that settles deep in your bones. I could see her body language shift to, "I think I love him." In her quiet revelation, I recognized my own transformation. Love wasn't always announced by grand gestures or delivered in perfect bouquets. Now I understand that Valentine's Day isn't about waiting for love to arrive on your doorstep - it's about recognizing love in its simplest forms, even in the very air filling your lungs.
Whether it's love for ourselves or others, when it's real, it feels undeniable. Looking back, it's hard to believe how much I'd forgotten its importance. Life's rollercoaster had left me jaded, reluctant to explore the depths of L.O.V.E. But something shifted when I found myself returning to 1 Corinthians 13 again and again. Love became something more encompassing - not just because I began to grasp the vastness of God's love, but because I finally understood the depth of my own capacity to love. I know this was only because of the training that I was in with every friend that crossed my path. Like those delivery men faithfully carrying messages of love across the city, each friend delivered their own lesson. Some were easy to understand, some took figuring out, and others made me point the mirror at myself.
Love began to take shape when relationships did not require physical intimacy, it required emotional intimacy. Through friendship, I learned that understanding someone's story was just the beginning. My love had to reach far beyond the superficial thoughts of "he's fine" or "she's fun to be around," beyond even the comfort of simply knowing who someone was. My love yearned to share laughter and tears, to understand and support, to see someone beyond those first exciting weeks. Most surprisingly, my love wanted to do more than just acknowledge imperfections – it wanted to be open, accept, and stay present with them to practice patience and create growth space.
And now here I am. Open to love in forever partnership. Desiring more than a quick fling. Like those Valentine's bouquets being delivered across the city, my heart has finally opened to receive love's full message. Who knew it was possible? Who knew that all those years of watching love being delivered to others were preparing me to recognize it when it finally arrived at my own door - not in the form I expected as a child, but in the deeper, truer form I needed all along.
Love, Charlene