I never thought it’d quite turn out this way, but here we are. Now, don’t freak out, or think I’m getting overly sentimental, or moving too fast. I’ve given this a lot of thought, and given the holiday, I thought it appropriate to tell you this.

You see, this Valentine’s Day, I’ve decided to fall in love with someone very special. Someone who absolutely deserves to be loved. Someone who I’ve not always cared for as I should, but have always wanted to be there for, and even in my worst moments, never wanted to hurt.

That someone is you. All of you. Every last blessed, exasperating, silly, bigoted, charitable, annoying, ugly, beautiful one of you.

I know it’s a strange idea, but just hear me out. See, Saint Valentine had a similar idea a long time ago. He was trying to be like his God, because God loved each of us first. In fact, God loved us so deeply and so instantly, he came down in the form of Jesus just to be as close to us as possible.

And I know, this kind of love is scary. It’s a big deal; so big that many people have died because of it, include saint Valentine and Jesus. That’s why we sentimentalize things like Valentine’s day. You can’t control someone else loving you, but you can buy chocolates and roses. We all try so hard to either love just one person whom we are in a relationship with, or love ourselves, we tend to forget that love can only be perfect when it’s free.

I am aware that you probably do not love me back. This is okay. In fact, you may find this creepy, or unsophisticated, or just weird; I’m alright with all that. After all, I can’t expect much better treatment than those who have loved like this before. I will try to love you quietly, and respectfully, but I will always try and make you wanted and delighted in. Because I am lucky enough to be loved and delighted in as well, I have the joy of loving you.

So there it is: I love you. And if that love helps you see how deeply you are loved by all the saints, and by Jesus, or even just helps you get through one more day, then I will count myself blessed to be able to know you.

Love,

ERU