Today as I write this it’s Valentine’s Day. A day where we celebrate love. Just yesterday I read an article about Hallmark movies, and how so many people love them because they're so uplifting.

But here's the thing. I don't find them uplifting. Why? Because they make me dissatisfied with my life.

I used to watch them. After my husband died. I guess I wanted to believe that love could still exist. That good things could still happen to good people. But I found that all they did was make me wish for what I didn't have. And that love was only romantic love. Where everyone lives happily ever after in a photo-shopped world. Not the world where I live. I wanted to escape my own life.

And really, my life is pretty good. Not perfect, but good. Beautiful. I get to love and be loved every day. It just doesn't look like one of those movies. It looks like friends supporting one another. Strangers meeting and becoming friends. Serving. Caring. Singing. Gardening. Making art.

I want to believe that good triumphs over evil. Love over war. Joy over sorrow. I want to be inspired to be better. Love more. Care more. Fear less. Go beyond what I think are my limits. That's what uplifting means to me. Even as I'm tossed around, challenged, or shaken to the core.

At the same time, it doesn't mean those limits aren’t there at all. That evil is no more. War stopped. And sorrow died. No. They just aren't winning any more. That's what uplifting means to me.

What channel would I like to see? The Uplifting Channel. The Hope Channel. One that spurs me on to greater love and good deeds, and still acknowledges the human condition. The reality that there is illness, pain, disappointment, and disagreement. It's just that they don't have to win.

Do you maybe feel this way? Like you don't want to see a diet of dystopian society, and you don't want happily-ever-after either?

On this, the day after Valentine's Day, I want to thank you, my friends, for showing me the Uplifting Channel. For showing up to your life every day with bravery, emotional honesty, loyalty, and vulnerability. I continue to be encouraged and inspired by you. Thanks for being my Valentine.

I’d love to hear what you have to say.  Please do me the honor of leaving a comment.