Today, perhaps love will lead you gently back to yourself

Today, our mail boxes, email boxes, will contain cards, notes, and letters filled with words of love.

Some will be carefully crafted words that come from the heart, others will be precious cards drawn by our children and grandchildren, others will be simply the words designed by manufacturers of greeting cards.

Other expressions may be the favorite flowers of the designated recipient, still others may be jewelry, perhaps a trip to some exotic places, or a special dinner out. Still others may choose to spend the evening at home with a special dinner prepared by either spouse, or both.

Some criticize the commercialism of the season, but don't try to convince the recipient of the expression of love and appreciation that it is a superfluous day. It may be just the thing to keep those feelings of love alive - and we can't put a price on that.

In our English language, we have the word "love" to cover a multitude of experiences. The Greek language uses three words: Eros, Filial, and Agape.

Simply speaking, Eros is associated with passion, sexual love; Philia is the love expressed by family members and good friends; Agape is a love that accepts without question , self-sacrificing, giving love to friends and enemies, as used by Jesus when he said, to "Love your neighbor as yourself." It is generally referred to as the love of God.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the French philosopher, said, "Perhaps love is the process of my leading you gently back to yourself."

Perhaps Valentine's Day is a little exaggerated in its importance, but don't try to tell that to someone who finds the expressions shared on that day as a pathway leading them gently back to themselves.