“Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all”- St. Augustine. The day love blooms and the beginning of one’s heartbreak? Hear me, on my journey of my Valentine’s story. February 14, 2012, is coming around the block. Some are excited and some are not so much. Hatred can consume your soul and heart. It is powerful, yet weak against its opposite feelings. As a senior, I’ll be graduating from here; then it’s college, which I have always dreamed of. Before I say farewell, I love this time of year, which only comes once a year, Valentine’s Day. For one whole day, it’s a chance I get to give my best friends, teachers and families a gift of gratitude and love. It’s a day I get to express how much they are important to me and how grateful I am that they are there for me when I needed them. I can understand why some people don’t like Valentine’s Day. It’s either that they don’t have a person to love, or a break-up relationship that happened on Valentine’s Day that they don’t want to remember. “I don’t like Valentine’s Day. It’s complicated and I know it’s Cupid love it, but most people are not comfortable sharing their love,” Dimond Senior Lepaoa Lifiti Leone said. Although not everyone dislikes Valentine’s Day, I still respect what he or she has to say. Of course, it’s their opinions; it’s not my decision to decide what’s good or bad for them on Valentine’s Day. To me, Valentine’s Day means a lot. There are times when I wished we had Valentine’s Day every day. However, I must say, not all would appreciate that. Valentine’s Day does not have a time you can apply to. When Valentine’s Day arrives, plans surely will get ruined. Not everything goes according to plans, I know, because it always happens to me. If a friend of mine is sick, or moves away, I make sure that my friend receives a Valentine gift from me no matter how far he or she is. “It’s sweet, but they tried too hard. For example, buying a gift that is expensive, or trying to impress a girl or a guy,” Dimond Junior Philaphone Keobouala said. On the other hand, not everyone cares. Although they don’t care, it does not mean they dislike Valentine’s Day. Everyone deserves love, happiness, affection and forgiveness. Even if it’s someone you hate or have a grudge against. Valentine’s Day to me does not just mean romance or love. It’s more that that. Not everyone will think like me, that is why everyone is born differently. However, I can admit one thing, everyone falls in love. That of course, will not change. I have always loved Valentine’s Day, even as a little girl. In elementary school, one of my teachers would teach us how to make a heart paper basket before Valentine’s Day. On Valentine’s Day, I would bring my Valentine cards and candies and place them in the heart paper basket for my friends and teachers. When I have extras, I give them to random people I do not know and give them a “ Happy Valentine’s Day” card. I can never ask for more in this world. Getting the chance to give my best friends and families my appreciation on Valentine’s Day is the best. It’s the time I get to tell them how much I appreciate their efforts and love they have given me and the time they have, spending with me, through thick and thin. Not all Valentine’s Day goes special every time, or how I arranged it to be. All of my Valentine’s Days consist of both good and bad times. There’s always a next time and everyone experiences different years of Valentine’s Day. If things don’t go well, there’s always another chance to make it up.