It’s February 14th Linguerites! It’s Valentine’s Day! Whoop whoop. You wonder if I really am excited. Don’t worry, I wonder the same too 🙂 Now don’t get it twisted just yet. I’m a fun-loving girl, even though it’s not the first thing people make out of me. I get easily excited by really silly stuff and shrug off some serious things too. Just another weird part of me. I get pretty excited when Valentine’s is here. I do not know why, but it’s just one of those days when nothing can burst my bubble. Wait, I’m digressing from the initial reason for this post. My bad 🙂

Anyway, I was going through my Facebook news-feed and almost every one of my friends had something up about Valentine’s Day: status updates dedicated to special people or the world in general, photos declaring love, videos of love songs etc. Everything looked so beautiful and I could only smile at the love that was being shared on this day. However, I couldn’t help noticing the few people who made it known how little they cared about the day. For some, love is something that should be given and received everyday. Some thought it was against their religious beliefs and so they were going to stay away from it as much as possible. Others just couldn’t care for they thought the whole idea of Valentine’s is overrated. When I saw these, a part of me died and I’m still trying to understand how their words could affect me so. I wouldn’t normally care about what people think, say or do because I’ve always believed that each one has the right to an opinion. What matters to me is the mutual respect we share even when our thoughts differ. Like  the great Youssou Ndour said ‘Utay guiss guiss boumu takh bagnu banyanteh’. Nevertheless, I couldn’t stop myself from asking ‘How can they not see and appreciate the beauty of this day?’. 

We all know that love is something we should strive to give out every single minute. I most definitely would want people to tell and show me how much they love me at every given chance. I try as much as possible to let my loved ones know how much they mean to me. This, however, does not stop me from appreciating all the extra trimmings that come with Valentine’s Day. That feeling of being extra special because of what your loved ones go out of their way to say to or do for you does not in any way make you less special on any other day. I think people need to loosen up a little and not create storms out of teacups. It’s beautiful to see the world talk about just one thing(I’m generalizing here). You tell someone about February 14th and there is a high chance that the first thing that comes to mind is Valentine’s. When they think of Val’s, they think love, gifts, peace, joy and all the other tiny details that make this day what it is. For a day, everyone forgets most of their troubles and concentrates on making someone happy.

We might be more receptive to the whole Valentine’s idea if we do not limit ourselves to thinking that Valentine’s is only for lovers. This is where many people go wrong. It’s a day to show love and express your feelings. It could be to your family, friends, school mates, your neighbour or even that lonely person, alone in the cold streets. It could be expressed in your actions towards friends, foes and strangers alike. Helping that blind brother cross the road and thus saving him from an accident; picking up that thorny branch from the road so the child next door doesn’t get hurt; offering food and warm clothes to the many people who need them; giving a simple hug to that lonely boy at the children’s home,saying a prayer for the millions that are in need of love, peace and calm. All these gestures might not mean much to you but for those on the receiving end, it means mountains. The mere thought of someone caring for them is enough to push their worries aside, if even for a short while. The fact that this day is all about LOVE and nothing else is enough to get everyone to celebrate it. Latirr Carr summed up my feelings in his FB status update and I found myself clicking on ‘like’ even before I finished reading it. I share :

”I haven’t done chocolate and dinner for Valentine’s in a while.Seriously though, whether it was a pagan holiday (Umm origin of Xmas anyone?) or an opportunity for businesses to thrive I believe that any day that brings mankind together is worth celebrating. I wish EVERYONE would celebrate Valentine’s day. I wish it was a universal holiday where nations would make peace and leaders would love and reconcile with their people. I wish it was truly a day where love was most sincere and money was insignificant; where the beggar in the street would not need to push his wheelchair himself. I know for some people everyday is Valentine’s day but I honestly wish, One day out of 365, there would be NO HATE…that way, LOVE would reign and make our world a better place.”

Now that is what I’m talking about. Share the love and put a smile on someone’s face. My Valentine’s was made even better by Balafong’s ‘Secret Valentine’ site. I had about 14  messages from ‘secret admirers’.(Yea I counted , hehe). Even though they are anonymous and it was just for fun, they put a smile on my face. I share my favourites:

‘‘To: The Beautiful Mind of Jama Jack 

Much can be said about your beauty, but it is the mind that dwells within you that stirs my heart. In secrecy, I find myself content with admiring from a far.”

”To: jama jack 

your smile shines brighter than a diamond. it makes me smile and warms all four chambers of my heart to know that you are smiling. keep smiling and be my valentine”

”To: Jama Jack 

First I fell in love with your blog. My appreciation for you grew after that. Your comments on Balafong always make me smile or go Wow! Then i saw you on the anniversary video and fell in love with your voice, your poise, your maturity and your cute smile. Girl, let me be the Anderson Cooper to your Aisha Sesay. We’ll rock the world.”

”To: Jama Jack 

You’re smart, pretty, witty, compassionate and a lot of other things. Wifey material right here 🙂 Happy V-Day”

”To: Ya Jama 

Ima be the President of your fan club, and then leave all them players like a bad love. you’re my Valentines Linguere”

”To: Ya Jama Jack 

U’re portable like a chinese phone i love u and havent seen u,could u please accept my pending friend request and be my valentine.”

”To: Jama Jack 

Suma huloe waaleh b, u know I got mad love for you. Happy valentines day my bestest cyber buddy! Awma sa feiy! <3 Now get off that man diet ndah ma meiy la Uncle. :-P”

  Beautiful messages, you must agree. To all those people who sent their secret love, you put a smile on my face and I thank you for that. Kick the shyness away though and hit a girl up so we can sail the world together 🙂 lol. I’m sending you all loads of love and wish the best for you. Now, I’m going to curl up, read some poems and listen to the Special Valentine’s Playlist on http://balafong.com/balafong/article/valentines-playlist-peoples-pick-2012 ! You should check it out too. It  might change your views about this day. Spread the love and let’s make the world a more pleasurable place to live in! HAPPY VALENTINE’S LINGUERITES!!! 🙂