I was never the type to dot an “i” with a heart or  finish off an exclamation point with a heart instead of period.  In fact, it took me awhile to even use the emoji with the “heart kiss” face.  So it may be surprising that one of my favorite holidays is Valentine’s Day.  I add sprinkles of hearts, XOs, and love throughout the house, right down to my dishtowels.  My eyes are peeled for the latest Valentine Deco update to add to my collection.

I dropped in at one of my loving merchants where I live, Farmyard Darlings.  One of the owners, Kim, is my friend.  As luck would have it, she was working the day I came by.

“Hiiiii!”  If I could put hearts on the “i’s I would because that’s how the greeting sounds when you walk into that store, packed with love.

“Hiii!” I smile really big to genuinely match her exuberance.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m looking for love.”

“Well come here,” she says with outstretched arms.  She knew I meant decorations but that was her first instinct, to give me a hug.

We talked about how important love is right now and how we really need to surround ourselves.

“I saw on facebook, you carry the word “love” on different size blocks.  Do you still have it?”

And in five minutes I found love made from reclaimed wood and an XO from the roof of an old barn.  Recycled Love! That made my day. And as my friend says, “Love is timeless.”  She meant I could leave the decorations up year-round, but emotionally, the statement is true too.  I like that.