Bittersweet Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day.

I hope this day finds you celebrating your loved ones, no matter who ...

Today is bittersweet. I'm with my dear husband, my sweetheart of many years. We're celebrating amidst the fresh white of a Montana snowfall. I made my sweetie a batch of homemade caramel popcorn, and he made me a handmade card that had me giggling as I sat down to my computer this morning.

But we're both fighting tears, too. Yesterday we had to take our dear Buddy in to the vet. Golden Retrievers are prone to arthritis in their joints, and Buddy was nearly 12, elderly for the breed. He had gotten so he couldn't walk without falling, and yesterday he stopped eating or drinking. 

We couldn't let our little surfer dude suffer. We called him that because his long 'feathers' sort of wafted when he ran along, like sun-bleached California beach hair. 

Part of love is letting go. Today we're remembering all the wonderful times we had on long walks, chasing tennis balls and meeting new friends who just had to pet the cute dog. Buddy never met a stranger. His only fear was small dogs who would jump and yap in his face, lol. His only regret was he never could catch that pesky neighbor cat (much to our relief). He always knew when one of us was sick or upset, and he would be right by our sides, sitting patiently, ready to put that silky head on our knee or give a lick when he could sneak one in.

We can choose to wall ourselves off and never get hurt, or we can throw our hearts out there and take chances, knowing that love comes with inevitable pain. Works that way with people too. And that's truly one of the reasons to love hard while we can. Not only are we storing up beautiful memories, we're brightening other lives. 

And this, dear ones, is why I love to write romance. I get to put my characters through the pain of stumbling along the road to true love, and then reward them with all the joy that goes with it. Teach them that the love is worth the hurt. 

Check out my new Free Read, Heart of Stone. Even a tough ex-space pirate finds he can't keep up the shields around his heart. The book is Free on Smashwords @ 

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/CathrynCade

Hope you're celebrating Valentines, with all the fanfare, or a quiet moment. Leave a comment ... I'd love to know.

best,

Cathryn Cade

... red hot romance!

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