Column: Something About Nothing

Today, Feb. 14, is a day of love. Cupid sent the arrow into the air and if it hits you, love abounds.

Today is the day to send special gifts to your sweetheart. The stores are full of candy, flowers and unique ways to tell someone that you love them. An announcer on a radio show that I was listening to recently was expecting an iPad for Valentine’s Day. The expectations of Valentine’s Day have surpassed the usual candy and flowers.

I like to send cards to my kids and grandkids on Valentine’s Day because my love is not just reserved for my sweetheart. I love Valentine’s Day. It is my favorite holiday.

There is nothing that surpasses a love a mother has for a child.

If I could send anyone a Valentine on this special day it would be to my great-grandmother. I would send her that card because I imagine the love that she showed for her daughter, my grandmother, was great. Because of that love my family is living in America.

My grandmother came to America in 1899. She emigrated from Poland. I know she was 22 years old. From the little information that I have a sister also made that journey. She and her sister later lost touch and no one was able to make contact with her.

My grandmother later married my grandfather who also had emigrated from Poland at a different time and they settled in Wells. I do not know if they knew each other in the old country.

My grandmother never learned to speak English and I knew very little Polish so I was not able to talk with her. She died when I was 16. At 16 I was not interested in hearing about the past.

As I was thinking about Valentine’s Day and the love a parent has for a child, for some reason I thought of my great-grandmother. My great-grandmother said goodbye to her daughters and let them immigrate to America so they could have a better life. At that time in America travel overseas was hard and long. My great-grandmother probably knew that she would never see her daughters again.

I have no facts to back up the feelings that went into my great grandmother letting go of her daughters. I do have the heart of a mother that can only imagine how hard it was for a mother to let her daughters move on to a new life without her.

It takes great love to put someone else first. It takes great love to let go of a child so they can move on to a better life. It takes great love to put your spouses or friends needs before your own so they can be happy.

On this Valentine’s Day, if you have experienced a great love in your life, it is truly the day of love to say thank you to your Valentine.

Thank you great-grandma for that great love so that I could have this wonderful life.

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send e-mail to her at thecolumn@bevcomm.net. Her blog is www.thankfuljoy.com. Listen to KBEW AM radio 1:30 p.m. Sundays for “Something About Nothing.”