When we were young, Valentine’s Day meant decorating shoeboxes a few weeks in advance in our classrooms and strategically handing out our valentines to our crushes, friends and archenemies, to reveal our innermost feelings in the form of two by three inch square cards. As we grew older, we have come to see Valentine’s Day in a different light. Some see it as “Singles Awareness Day,” and some milk the holiday for all that it’s worth and engulf in the (possibly over-exaggerated) celebration of love.

I have always loved Valentine’s Day because, to me, it is a reminder that true love still exists. Unfortunately, the images of love that we have conjured up in our minds have primarily been built up by movies and books created by a man who goes by the name Nicholas Sparks. While these movies and books are entertaining and dare us to daydream, the truth is that they just aren’t real. Maybe the loves of our life won’t come back to us after five years when we are building their dream house; however, this doesn’t mean that true love isn’t existent.

I want you to take the time to direct your attention to these small, true stories of great love. However way you choose to spend your Valentine’s Day, and even however way you feel about the day, let these simple tales serve as reminders that great love stories can be small, but they are real, and they are all around us.

Fred and Lorraine

What touches me about this story, is how Fred could bring his feelings to life in the form of a song. He wrote down his emotions onto a piece of paper, and that piece of paper became a melody. Music has so much power, including the ability to bring emotions alive. Through the fire in his eyes and the passion in his lyrics, one can feel the love that he had and still has for Lorraine. It is the kind of love that doesn’t come around very often, and it is one to strive for. My favorite part of this video is the way Fred shakes his head and says, "Yup," when he hears the song out loud for the first time. He was listening to his and Lorraine's love brought to life, and it sounded exactly the way he imagined it would.

David and Ayla

Some could go their whole lives without finding their soulmate, but David went just eight years. Who says what age is too young to know what love is? Ayla knows that before long, David won't be here, but she chooses him anyway, which is an incredibly brave and exemplifies a genuine connection. It's amazing to think that most kids their age are too embarrassed to even admit that they have a crush on a classmate, but David and Ayla, who are so young, yet so sure and proud of what they have. This is a one of a kind, and once in a life time, love story.

Danny and Annie

The story of Danny and Annie is a classic example of timeless love. Everything from the way Danny was devoted to writing love letters to his wife for her to find every morning, even if it were just a weather report, to how he describes being married as a safe haven from any kind of trouble that one can experience in the outside world, is beautiful. When Danny was nearing death, his biggest concern was how Annie was going to go on without him. If she would be OK on her own, and if she would find somebody to fall in love with and marry, because in his mind, Annie was not just the one, but she was the only one. In life, we can all only hope that we will find the one to walk in and walk out with.

John and Yolanda

My mom and dad met when she was 16 and he was 18. They dated on and off for years, but what I love about the story is that when they weren’t together, they would randomly run into each other in the most unexpected places. My mom would tell me that she could be walking into a store, and my dad would be walking out. Or my dad would be entering a bar, and my mom would be exiting. At that exact moment, no matter how much time had passed, they suddenly would enter back into each other’s lives by some kind of extrinsic force that makes me believe it was meant to be. It was as if they were undeniably being brought back together during times that they least expected it.

This year, my mom and dad will be celebrating their 25^th wedding anniversary. They have never been the kind of couple that believes in cheesy pet names and weekly date nights, but they do believe in encouraging each other in all of their pursuits, a dozen roses on every anniversary and picking each other up when one is down. My mom always tells me that when we first get into relationships, the first year is measured by a level of intense attraction. But when that year is over, what we are left with is something much more than that. It is the foundation that two people built that bonds them into a unit.

I aspire to grow old with my soulmate because that is what I grew up witnessing. My parents have made an example of true love, and they are my favorite simple, but great, love story.