This week, I hope you are committed to celebrating the true meaning of Valentine’s Day – CHOCOLATE. I’ve brought you some red roses too.

But if you want to put some over-the-top LOVE out into the universe,
consider sending a special kind of Valentine
- a love letter you write to someone you want to encourage.
Because encouragement from the heart is an amazing kind of love.

Yesterday I received the most beautiful email from Tina,
who I’ve never met but now can’t wait to meet.
She let me share her story of her sister with you,
and I think you’ll love it too.

19 years ago, I lost my sister to cancer. It was very quick, and although she did not have radiation treatments, from the time we took her to her first doctor’s appointment which was her initial diagnosis until she
was with my mother at the beach and took a tumble that put her in a fatal coma, she was always dressed “to the nines”, insisting that although she did not choose to wear cancer but that if it was going to wear her(referencing her bald head – she had to have a bifrontal craniotomy which caused her to revert to a childlike state) she was going to look smashing! We never left home without a picture hat, jewel encrusted fingers & wrists, fancy flats, and party dresses! Everyday was special ~ she chose to wear what she had. She told us everyday that she bought clothes to wear when she was living and she made us show her a full length mirror before she went out each day, even if it was only a walk around the block.

I am a girlie girl that likes to dress up!
Give me a reason . . . or not . . . and I put on a dress!
In early June, I bought a silver sequin dress, yep, the one we all have hanging somewhere in the back of our closet, that we save for “SPECIAL”. I was going to wear it to dinner, then a wedding, then drinks with the girls, but every time I took it out it was too fancy ~ too “SPECIAL”. And then October came.

I heard your story. The next day, I got the dress out, put on black boots, a black cardigan, and wore my “SPECIAL” dress. All day girls kept asking me where I was going, if something special was going on in my life. My answer, “Nope, just wanted to wear something awesome to celebrate another day!”

I am thankful for my life. I miss my sister desperately and think of her everyday if not more often. But, I have amazing photos of us playing dress up together in the few months we had before she died. She had incredible style & flair, which if I may say, she passed on to me in a BIG way!

So, after all this rambling, I guess my point is, I LOVE YOUR BLOG & everything that it stands for! I have told tons of people about it & it inspires me everyday! I have adopted a new “WHY WAIT” attitude and just love who and what I am everyday! And that, dear Elissa, is due in part to you!

Wow, right? What a beautiful story, what a sister!

And she added a book recommendation
that seems like the perfect Valentine treat:

Just one more thing, at present, I am reading a book by Hoda Kotbe. I don’t know if you are familiar with her, but she is a journalist & anchor for the Today show. She has written an amazing book about ordinary folks that have survived amazing circumstances to triumph in their lives. How they did it are their stories & I know that you would love it if you have not already read it. It is called, Ten Years Later and it is amazing!

Here’s a link if you’d like to check out the book. If you purchase through this link on Amazon, I will receive a 10% rebate (at no cost to you) which I will donate to Treasure House Fashions, the nonprofit women’s resale boutique where Tina volunteers.

Here’s to finding ways to celebrate
during the hard times to make them
not quite so hard.

And here’s to taking the time
to share your heart,
tell your story,and
encourage someone who needs it.