The Triumph of Love

Life begins and ends with a heartbeat, says the fictional Dr. AJ Austin in the now defunct medical drama series The Resident.

Thus, Valentine’s Day 2024 falling on Ash Wednesday was an aberration on one hand, and perfectly logical on the other. A couple.

Feb. 14, 2024, a joint celebration of Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday, celebrates love, which presumably leads to conception, and another human being’s first heartbeat. It also reminds us of what happens when the heart stops beating.

Valentine’s Day, commercially, is all about love between couples. But many also celebrate friendships and family on the “day of hearts.”

But since Valentine’s Day fell on Ash Wednesday this year, the start of the Lenten season among Catholics, many also chose to celebrate God’s love on Feb. 14.

A businesswoman wrote in her chat group: “I don’t remember Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday ever taking place on the same day. But come to think of it, it makes absolute sense for there is no greater love than that of our God’s love.”

Our faith teaches us that there is life everlasting and our heart hopes there is everlasting love as well.

So Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday on the same day? It’s really all about celebrating love and life, now and forever.

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During Linda’s milestone birthday in 2020, it was her eldest son Mark who spoke. And while speaking of his love for his mother Linda, he was professing his gratitude to his father Victor for bringing her into their lives.

Mark and his brother Michael lost their biological mother Cherry to breast cancer when they were toddlers. They grew up, according to him, in a house — “But it was only a roof over our heads.”

“It was around 18 years ago when I met ‘Linda.’ Me and my younger brother were having dinner when my dad walked in, may ka-‘HHWW.’ For those of you who don’t know what HHWW stands for, it means ‘holding hands while walking.’ My dad introduced this woman as ‘Tita Linda’,” recalled Mark.

“Tita Linda came at a time when me, my dad, and my brother only had a roof over our heads. And I say ‘only’ not to sound ungrateful but because — even if we did have a house, I didn’t know if it was truly a home.”

“Tita Linda showed me what a