I just thought I’d write to say something that people simply do not say often enough. . .

I love you.

That’s about it really.

I’m not spreading a virus or anything . . . just love.

Yeah . . . I’m talkin’ to you.

You got a problem with that?

I just happen to love you . . . that’s all.

You think that’s weird?

Well . . . it’s not.

Not really.

Okay, maybe slightly . . . but not completely.

It shouldn’t be weird at all.

We’re wired to love – so, I do.

I mean, I’m not talking about love in a mushy or romantic way.

Nor in an insecure, weird, desperately seeking or stalking way.

Not even in a casual, flirtatious, ego stroking or subtle way.

I just love you. . .

in a non-threatening, unconditionally accepting sort of way — with no strings attached, and no reciprocation required.

So. . . just accept it, and shut up. 😉

I think people should say this more often.

It gets an interesting reaction.

Try it today, and see for yourself.

Go up to the next stranger you see and say, “I love you”.

You might also give them a hug.

Better yet – say it to those you DO know.

Say it to your family.

Say it to your friends.

If you have a partner, you should say it to them every single day.

Why not? What’s the worse that could happen?

Other than a few restraining orders?

So. . . why do I love you?

Well. . . why not?

It seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

You are human, I am human.

We share a common Creator.

Ergo, we are related in some way.

I believe that our purpose here is primarily to love and create . . . and to share love — creatively, and communicatively — with every other human being in service and praise to our Creator.

So be it.

Thus, I am sharing it with you.

But this is just a blog entry, you say.

This is not much better than Spam, you say.

True. . . but love filled Spam . . . which is probably better for you than creme filled chocolates.

You know what they say — better to have Spammed and lost than never to have Spammed at all. 😉

You may think that I’m simply taken in by the heady power of the Internet.

Or that I’m merely capitalizing on the power that personalized mass communication puts at my fingertips . . . Or maybe the love I’m presently expressing is merely a rather bizarre symptom of Internet insecurity syndrome.

You would be wrong.

Seriously — honestly and sincerely — I simply want you to know that I love you.

Even if I don’t really know you very well, or if we’ve never even met.

I love you.

I don’t have to know you to care about you.

If I did not love you, then I would have merely deleted you from my friend’s list . . . and that would have been that.

Even though I rarely — if ever — get a chance to see you, call you, or write personal letters.

I love you.

How is that possible?

It’s this human bond we share.

There is also a Holy Spirit that inspires and gives me the ability to love beyond my own understanding.

I know I am loved – so I can love you.

I love myself – so I can love others.

There have been years in the past when I was seeking love, and this particular holiday allowed me to show how creative and expressive I could be . . . but it usually backfired and left my intended target feeling a bit overwhelmed, and somewhat scared.

There were other years when I was deeply in love – and this holiday was a celebration to be eternally remembered. I even kept keepsakes from restaurants so that I would never forget.

Most of those memories are now merely painful reminders.

There are also years that I found Valentine’s Day bloody depressing, rather silly, and an evil harbinger of insecurity.

The kind of romantic love that Valentine’s Day celebrates ruined my life on several occasions — primarily because I chose to give my heart unconditionally to women who could not requite the affection or commitment for any length of time.

Asking one to “be my Valentine” usually led me to the same fate of the holiday’s Sainted namesake — execution.

Those years, I hated people for having someone to love on Valentine’s Day.

For the past fifteen years, I have been very much in love with the woman who happens to be my wife. However, it’s not quite the romantic euphoria I anticipated in my youth – but it’s real. Solid. True. There is nothing I have to do or be to gain her love – and the feeling is mutual. It’s unconditional.

Real love just feels like . . . well, like home. It’s not rainbows and sunshine and symphonic cherubs . . . it’s a cozy blanket in a comfy chair. It’s a warm cuddle on a cold night. It’s having someone there with whom you know you can trust, and with whom you can completely be yourself. No games, no pretension, no one to impress . . . just someone to notice, listen to, and love.

If it’s conditional – well, it may not be love.

If you happen to have such a mate with which you share genuine affection, requited commitment, erotic enticement, and unconditional acceptance . . . congratulations! I am very happy for you, and hope that you are having a highly romantic — or merely comfortable and cozy Valentine’s Day!

Yet, for those that do not — please know that you are loved.

I have needed that kind of assurance at many, many times in my life.

So many times I wondered if anyone cared.

So many times I cried out to what I thought was a cold universe.

But – the answer always came back that it wasn’t as cold as I thought.

It wasn’t always instant – but seek and you shall find. Ask and it shall be answered.

So. . .yes, you are loved.

Believe that.

It may not be romantic . . . but romance can often be nothing more than a hormonal reaction that typically fades, and isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be — it needs to be backed up with something more substantial.

Love is a commitment, not merely a feeling.

Love is a decision – not a reaction.

Love is a willingness to step up, support, lay down oneself and walk with another . . . to go the extra mile.

So . . . I’m there.

I’m here.

Wherever you are – I love you. So there. 🙂

Agape Y’all,

J. Scott Fugate