Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays! I long for the days when my children were little, and I would send them to school dressed in red, with little cards for each classmate in hand. I love the energy, the decorations, and the spirit of meeting others with love. Most of all, I love how I can jump right from my Chinese New Year celebrations into Valentines day!
My Conscious Parents from the US or EU may not know this, but the final day of the Chinese Lunar New Year is celebrated very similarly to the western holiday we know as Valentine’s Day. Young women, in hopes of finding a sweetheart after a week of Lunar New Year festivities, walk their neighborhoods and admire the many decorative lanterns strung about. As an expat in Hong Kong the past 30+ years, I had the honor of celebrating this beautiful holiday many times, and still hold it’s traditions tight to this day.
For families, Valentine’s Day is a chance to find your own traditions, and an excellent opportunity to practice meeting each other with love. This season often reminds me of Marshall Rosenberg’s rendition of “See Me Beautiful”, a heartfelt song that pleads for love in spite of imperfection. How timely Dr. Rosenberg’s message is for the parenting work that we do! May we all celebrate not only the unconditional love of our significant others but of our children, our families and our communities.
See me beautiful, look for the best in me
That’s what I really am and all I want to be
It may take some time
It may be hard to find
But see me beautiful
See me beautiful, each and every day
I hope these holidays inspire you to relish new beginnings and see the beauty in everyone.
From the bottom of my heart, wherever you are in the world: Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love and Blessings,
Katherine
PS Honored to be a guest on Natasha Graziano’s show – one of the most generous, pure hearted and supportive people I’ve ever met! Check out the episode here!
