“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them, humanity cannot survive.”
~ the 14th Dalai Lama
Valentine’s Day is almost here. It’s impossible not to be aware of this, given the proliferation of chocolate and landfill-bound plastic heart trinkets that began showing up as early as January 1.
But despite all the commercialization surrounding it, at the heart of this holiday is a sacred act: communicating your love for someone via a card or letter. Creating and offering a valentine is an act of compassion. And receiving one is heart-opening like nothing else. From that perspective, Valentine’s Day is the best holiday of the year, for its truest purpose is to encourage us to celebrate, share, and receive love!
So in honor of the intention of this holiday, here is a video for our Valentine song created with 34 of those sacred acts: a collection of homemade valentines from children all across the country (Freya, in Alaska, was the farthest away!) and all ages (1.5-9). Watch it here:
Each valentine is completely unique, of course. Each sings with the personality of the child who made it and opens a door onto a singular interpretation of love. Each was made with love on the brain and in the heart. Huge gratitude goes to these children and their families for sharing their love with the world!
Valentine — The Song I wrote the Valentine song in an attempt to communicate my unfathomably infinite love for my children and how that love vibrates in all the simple little acts we share and is returned and applauded by the universe. And how that one-on-one love — happening everywhere all the time — can expand to create a world where everyone really does love each other and act that way. A world where we let our prejudices and judgements and fears go, where separation is an illusion, and where we wake up to remember we are actually one big valentine loving itself. A world where we support each other in this love and reflect it back magnified, until everyone and everything is singing “la la la love you!” at the top of its lungs.
This is a world our children can envision. Why not us?
When our littlest citizens put their fingers and hands, minds and hearts to work and make a valentine, magic happens, every time. Please allow yourself to experience this magic and make a valentine today. For someone close, or someone far away. For someone easy to love, or someone a little harder to love from whom you’ve distanced yourself. Or make one for yourself, if that’s who needs it most right now.
And as a project with your children, make a valentine for the world. What would that look like? What kinds of intention would you pour into it? What conversations would it bring up? What seeds of compassion might it plant in their hearts and your own? After all, “you’re in love, and love is in you”. That’s just true.
Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends. I hope you enjoy the song, and the video, made with love, from my heart to yours.
I love you! Charity
VALENTINE VERSE 1 darling, let’s be valentines I’ll be yours and you can be mine right here is the place where we belong
we can show the world our love earth below and sky above and all the birdies in the trees will sing our song
CHORUS la la la love you la la la love you la la la love you la la la love you la la la love you la la la love you love you
VERSE 2 darling, let’s be valentines I’ll be yours and you can be mine we’ll hold hands and walk around the world
we will smile at everyone hug the moon and shine with the sun and all the stars up in the sky will sing our song
CHORUS
VERSE 3 darling, we’re all valentines all the world and all of the time and all that’s in our hearts was meant to share
find your kindness know it’s true you’re in love, and love is in you and all the valentines are singing can you hear them now?
CHORUS