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A Valentine’s Day thought

For those of us who were born married, Valentine’s Day is sort of the acid test of the relationship.

“Please, don’t get me anything. I don’t need anything. We can’t afford anything this year.”

Yeah, sure, Buster. Just try showing up without anything. Talk about cruisin’ for a bruisin’.

Valentine’s Day is unique among holidays. It’s a day to celebrate loving relationships, but unlike holidays like Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, it is only about two people — you and your beloved.

As such, it lies at the heart of the deepest of human conditions — the urgency of needing and being needed by another person. Most of us have to have a special connection with one other person to feel whole.

The most successful couples seem to develop much more than the original physical and emotional attraction. At some point, they actually learn to like each other as well as love each other. There’s no question that shared memories become part of that bond, too.

So, despite the flippant way this editorial began, it has to be acknowledged that the idea behind Valentine’s Day is an important one. It truly isn’t just a day to sell heart-shaped boxes of candy, diamonds or dozens of roses.

It’s a day to tell that someone special in your life, “I’m glad I found you . . . I’m lucky I found you.”

So trot out the candy, the jewelry and the flowers (you don’t want that bruisin’). But don’t forget the words, too. They’re the most important gift you can give your Valentine.

(A version of this editorial has appeared previously in The Maui News.)

* Editorials reflect the opinion of the publisher.

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