“It ain’t no bed of roses.” The only thing surprising about my aunt’s statement was that she confided in me. I was only a teen, and she had married my uncle before I was born.
“Maybe it is.”
Although I had no personal experience of marriage, I knew a bit about roses because my mom loved them. At one time, she had eighteen rose bushes in her modest yard.
I suggested to Aunt Rix the pain caused by thorns was offset by the beauty of the roses. I don’t know if Mom ever told me that, but I saw her devotion to the flowers. She didn’t complain about the occasional burning pain from the roses’ natural defense; she simply accepted it as part of the price of enjoying her beloved roses. She’d also been devoted to my dad, and their marriage wasn’t “a bed of roses” either, but she didn’t complain, ever.
Those who find Valentine’s Day difficult probably have reason for their reaction. I wish I could offer comfort, but the reality is, love is never without pain. People who have loved and lost know pain. Those who have lost a chance for love ache for what they miss.
If roses are a symbol of love, we need to remember they do have thorns.
Valentine’s Day is loved by those in love, but dreaded or even hated by those who feel they have no one to love or are not loved by anyone.
Perhaps we have too small a view of love. Love is more than an emotion. It is the language of Almighty God who chooses to reveal His purposes for us. We love because He first loved us.
patgwriter 
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