Cupid

Tomorrow is Valentine's day. While my original plan was to write a blog about the perfect outfit for a date, I have changed my mind. Today we aren't going to talk about clothes. Today is all about love. And not just the romantic kind of love, but unconditional feeling and compassion for all human beings. Now why this sudden preachiness? Today, Judy Sheppard, the mother of Matthew Sheppard, a gay college student killed in a hate crime in Laramie, Wyoming, came to speak at my school. She talked to us about acceptance. Not just tolerance, but acceptance.

"You tolerate a bad hair day," she said in her soft voice, "You accept the flaws in others." While the purpose of the talk was to raise awareness to the fact that ignorance is really what causes hate, I found the underlying message to be one that goes beyond even that. The lovely Judy didn't tell us not to hate, she told us to love everyone. And I think that's beautiful. People have quirks and they can upset you, but they are human beings. Living breathing people with hearts and souls. And they deserve your acceptance. What do you get from being mean? Nothing. Except for guilt. You would be surprised how much even the tiniest insult can cut someone.

Today is noted as the day with the most suicides out of the rest of the year. No coinicidence, considering its closeness to Valentine's Day. It's tough to see so much love and feel like you have none. So tell everyone in your life that they mean something to you. Remind them that they're loved. And don't forget that you, too, are loved.

On a little side note, Judy was wearing an adorable Coldwater Creek-esque vest, a white button-down, and black slacks. Quite the cutie for being a "woman of a certain age."