To this day, I am still not very fond of Valentine's Day. Back in high school, I would dread going to class on this very day since it took me forever to maneuver myself through the hallways (couples definitely knew how to walk slow if you know what I mean). My perspective, however, for this one day dedicated to heart-shaped candies has changed over time.

Especially in the past couple years, my appreciation for love has changed dramatically. For those evident loving relations and that type of love that is harder to see, I have come to realize that love comes in many forms. Relationships do not always have to rely on the terms "boyfriend" and "girlfriend."

Relations can be expanded to co-workers, family and close friends. Expand your horizons because you never know when something great is going to end. Appreciate the everyday encounters, the people that you meet on the street and the little things that are not always so visible. My growth of searching for meaningful encounters have expanded greatly, and so did my appreciation for love.

Something that I also learned in the past month or so is that you must love yourself first before you can share your gifts with others. Recently, someone commented on how my smile never left my face within a three-hour time frame. My goal of spreading happiness to anyone I meet is sometimes a challenge, but an action that I never second guess to pursue. This mind frame first began when I accepted who I was as an individual. That all started with the power of love.