Valentines in the Valleys
By Susan Vaughan Shumake
February 14, 2020
*****
There is never the promise of life’s sweet bouquet
of romantic roses on Valentine’s Day.
Nor is there the perfect sweetheart for all time
when people are real and love is not blind!
Victoria’s Secret is secret for sure!
Cuz it’s modeled by teenagers who haven’t matured.
And the image it brings is all Miracle Bra
which creates perfection from nothing at all.
Romanticized romance of what love should be
makes it hard to feel loved when you’re in the valley.
Broken hearts or lost loved ones leave many alone
with memories to hold onto, and hurts of their own.
What of the losses that breast cancer brings,
mastectomy scars, and hair loss and things?
Recovering self-image when these things are gone
forces us to look deeper to find love and go on.
A spouse who stands by you through illness and grief,
bringing love and acceptance, though they get no relief
Or the family member who travels miles for support,
to be there for surgeries or hear the doctor’s report.
The friend who sits by you when it’s treatment day
or makes you a blanket to show you they’ve prayed.
The call or the visit when times get too tough
to sit and bring laughter, the deep belly stuff!
It’s these gifts of love that we see all year long.
The LOVE that remains when the friend is now gone.
God’s love gifts to us to bring hope to our hearts.
Valentines in the valleys is where true love starts!
