The Valentine’s Day Gifts That We Really Need

By Fin Sheridan

I don’t know who decided that cuddly bears were romantic but I’m pretty sure they owned a cuddly bear shop. It’s Valentine’s Day today and so all across the UK, crushes, girlfriends, fiancées and wives will be receiving gifts including cuddly bears, flowers and chocolates. The flowers and chocolates make some sense but how on earth does a children’s cuddly toy say “I love you”? Maybe it’s because I’m a man but I don’t get it.  

Whatever your Valentine’s Day traditions, whether you ignore it or love it, whether you have a Valentine’s or if today is a painful reminder of your singleness, I’m fairly sure of this – a cuddly bear isn’t the thing that your closest relationship needs. There’s not a divorce paper that’s ever cited “lack of MeToYou bears exchanged” as the reason for divorcing. Tensions don’t arise in relationships because either party didn’t get a fluffy toy.

“Forgiveness is a gift we could all get a little better at giving.”

So, if it’s not bears, what do our relationships need? Well, you might have already bought the flowers and chocolate so don’t throw them away (Seriously, don’t. Or if you do, don’t blame it on me). But, here’s some gifts that I’m pretty confident we could all use a bit more of in our relationships…

The Gift of Forgiveness. So easy to write, so hard to do. It seems to me that relationships involve alternating between forgiving and asking for forgiveness, sometimes several times a day. It’s a gift and one I’m sure we could all get a little bit better at giving.  

The Gift of Affirmation. Words are so powerful. They can tear down or build up. Try and affirm your partner more than you correct or argue. It’s a precious gift.

The Gift of Attention. Although we sometimes want it in different ways, giving someone your attention is a special gift. It communicates that they matter, that you value them and you’re listening.  

BONUS GIFT: The Gift of Romance. I may have given them a rough a time but sometimes buying chocolates, flowers and a teddy are exactly what you need to do…

Prince of Peace

Everlasting Father

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