By Shellie Miller
With all due respect to greeting card and candy companies, this Valentine’s Day I have a few completely different ideas for sharing the “love.” Hey, the 2012 Holidays are barely over, I’ve stuck to my New Year’s “fitness resolution,” and an ill-timed day of confection indulgence is going to have me bawling on the scale in my skivvies come February 15th. Also, I’ll reserve my reckless bingeing for some green cookies on St. Paddy’s Day, more than a month (and a few more lost pounds) later.
Why is it that holidays named after Saints are so fattening? There’s All Saint’s Day, the Catholic term for Halloween (talk about a sugar rush!) and the aforementioned St. Patrick’s Day…sugar, beer, lots of corned beef (super fattening) and then St. Valentine’s Day; the holiday that practically demands that trees, sugar cane and cocoa beans be sacrificed in honor of love.
This Valentine’s Day, I’ve got a different agenda in mind. My aim is to make a difference for a variety of causes. I believe that my proactive stand, combined with yours, in several arenas will deliver more attention and love to those who need it the most. My friend Lindsay Hoffar is selling Mary Kay Lipgloss and donating $5 from the sale of each one to the Diabetes Research Institute because her cousin, Matthew, is living with the disease and praying for a cure. I’ll buy those instead of cards and candy! Place your order or contact her at www.MaryKay.com/LHoffar
Little Michael Gonzalez, 3, is in need of medical testing and a formula that will keep him alive. He is one of a small number of kids worldwide suffering from a disorder called Food Protein Enterocolitis Syndrome. There is no cure. His family and others around the world are facing life and death circumstances if they aren’t able to find help nourishing their children. Please see www.savelittlemichael.wordpress.com/you-can-help/.
And finally, Scott and I have two sons in the Army who are overseas. Did you know that Internet access for them is $100 per soldier/per month? This is so outrageous to our family (and all of those who have commented on our Facebook page). Do you know a soldier who is deployed? Can you pool a few friends together and pay for a few months of Internet access for that American Hero?
It’s all about love this Valentine’s Day…so share it in a way that makes a positive impact and means more than a box of chocolates.