From my sister

Marking Valentine's Day, which would have been my daughter Jessica's 18th birthday. This is what she said:
~~
Today, lots of people celebrate love. But love, of course, isn't defined by frilly pink hearts or boxes of chocolate. Sometimes it is ecstatic and joyful, sometimes it is deep and enduring. It can be soft, determined, compassionate, or gritty.

Sometimes it pours out of you until it feels like there is nothing left. It surges in waves of tears that are driven by winds of grief. But even when the storm subsides, love still remains. It cannot be destroyed by grief, obliterated by time, or displaced by new loves. It is powerful. Strong.

The strength of that love is within you. It always has been, and always will be.
~~

Such beautiful words just had to be shared.