Valentine’s Day is finally over. No more romance being shoved down my throat at this marriage factory — at least, that’s what some of you are thinking, and, in a way, I agree.

I’m truly not the biggest fan of romance or witnessing countless couples make out on white swings. However, I actually love Valentine’s Day. It’s an opportunity to appreciate those you care about, a reason to wear multiple shades of pink in one outfit and an excuse to randomly pass out candy to your classmates. There have been two Valentine’s Days in my entire life that I did not enjoy. Despite the roughness of those two days that I endured, I still find reasons to love the holiday.

First of all, I would like to make it known that I do not have and have never had a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day, so I am not biased towards this day for that reason. Secondly, I think it is so exciting to go to class and give or receive little candies from classmates. I find joy in encouraging others and letting them know they are loved and appreciated even if they do not have a date that night. I embrace the fun of a day designed for wearing pink. Also — and this is probably the most controversial thing I will say in this entire piece — I seriously love the candy hearts with the messages on them. I enjoy their flavor, and who doesn’t want little encouraging messages on their candy?

The biggest reason I love Valentine’s Day is because it is centered around showing love and appreciation. I know that some think of love as romance, but love is far greater than romance and definitely does not have to involve romantic feelings. I love my family, I love my roommates, I love my friends, but I certainly do not want to date any of those people. Valentine’s Day gives me an opportunity to show my love and appreciation for them with sweet notes, sweet treats or just sweet time spent with them. And if you think you are the only single person in America due to the overwhelming number of appreciation posts for significant others, trust me, you are wrong. Many other single people out there are also looking for someone to watch a Hallmark movie with, and if you try hard enough, you could probably think of someone you could invite over for a movie night (and if not, I’m a big Hallmark fan).

And to the Christians out there: we say so often that God is enough — that He is all we need and has a plan for us, but we rarely live as though we believe it. Today, I encourage you to really embrace that truth. The world tells you that your worth is determined by your relationship status or number of friends, but the truth is, you are loved so deeply and so fully by the creator of your soul, who knows you better than anyone else ever could and has called you worthy of kindness and real, true love.

So, whether you find yourself rejoicing that it is finally Feb. 15 or you are already counting down the minutes until Valentine’s Day 2020, I hope you choose to embrace the joy found in knowing you are loved and celebrating those around you — single or not.